For Her: Second Stage
by Rob Sears
Summary: The sequel to For Her continues the saga of Alec and Tali'Zorah as both of them head off to an uncertain future. A destiny is altered, a familiar evil arises, and the fight for survival only begins... Violence, sexual content, strong language
1. Prologue: An Unwelcome Guest

2026

_TSF Kevzin, en route to Tuchanka_

The target was near.

Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was nearly time. Trying to ignore the shaking of his body, he reached inside his coat for the pill vial that he kept handy. Unscrewing the lid, he popped a few of the capsules in his mouth and willed for them to take effect soon.

The _Kevzin_ was a turian frigate, utilized most of the time by the military as a Citadel patrol. Today, the ship had a different purpose. It was carrying an envoy from the Council, plus an armed escort, to the krogan leadership to negotiate trading routes in the local area. The ship itself was spartan and with its angular contours it was rather eerie for eyes unused to the architecture of other-worldly beings.

Adam did not care at the moment. He was, as of right now, trying to prevent himself from throwing up in the CIC. That would only draw unwanted attention.

Not that it mattered as of this moment. The _Kevzin_ currently occupied a skeleton crew, the current assignment was completely voluntary and only the crewmembers who hadn't logged enough time for shore leave were confined for one more mission. However, because Adam was only one of five humans presently on board, it would not take long for someone to realize his current position if he had suddenly made a move here and now.

His main objective, up until this time, was not to get spotted by the target. He had been warned, before he stepped foot onto the ship, that his target was unusually perceptive when it came to sniffing out ambushes. He had also been told that the man he was supposed to take out had killed several people successfully in the past at a rather young age. Now that the target was older and undoubtedly better trained, a frontal assault on this man would be close to suicidal.

He checked his chronometer (standard Earth watches were now useless as they didn't correspond to Council-ordained Citadel time anyways) and deduced that they would reach their destination within the next fifteen minutes. He might as well get himself ready.

He rose from the bench and headed for the bridge, located at the front of the craft, where he knew the target would be. He quickly glanced out the window to get his bearings. The dusty glow of Tuchanka shone through, bathing him in the warm light. He savored the feel for a second before grimacing and continuing on his way.

Adam brushed past a turian crewmember, resisting the urge to gag. Dying was not necessarily a prospect he was concerned about at the moment. The thought of dying around alien scum like this was. He snorted, humans were not meant to consort with anything other than humans. He quickly gazed around the hallway. And yet, here were his fellow humans, talking with them like they had known them their whole lives. Like they were friends.

Quickening his pace, Adam finally reached the cockpit, where he finally got his first glimpse of the man he was sent to kill. The target was tall, white male, short brown hair. He looked about to be in his mid to late twenties, but what he noted with some worry, that the target appeared to be wearing some type of body armor.

The armor looked brand new, encasing a set of broad shoulders and providing relative protection from most firearms and bladed weapons. Adam did not even know what other kinds of goodies the suit held and he was glad that he did not have to directly face him, in order to kill him, at least. He was only doing this because he wanted to savor the chance to gloat.

The target was deep in conversation with a turian at the moment. The turian was also protected by a deep blue armor and also sported what looked to be a sniper rifle held together on the magnetic strip on the turian's back.

Adam shrugged. It was only fitting that the traitor die talking with one of them. It would definitely raise his comrades' spirits when they found out the circumstances of his unfortunate death.

He was now within arm's reach of the target. Adam was sweating hard now; he wiped his sleeve with his coat. He needed to appear brave, now was not the time to falter.

Sensing a presence at his side, the target turned in his direction. Staring at each other for some time, no words were exchanged until Adam brought his arm out from the back pocket in his coat. Within his hand was a tiny, cylindrical object. Its purpose was never explicitly stated out loud, but the consequences were clear as glass at this very moment.

Eyes widening, the target started to shout but before he could pull a weapon, Adam's hand depressed the button on the edge of the cylinder.

Immediately, a shudder was felt throughout the ship as the artificial gravity suddenly died and groans rocked through the halls. Adam, starting to float, felt a glee as he realized that the explosives he had placed prior to the ship leaving had done their job. The _Kevzin_ was now powerless, dead in the water.

But there was more in store, Adam hid with a smile. The detonation was timed within the window that the ship was entering Tuchanka's atmosphere. With no power, the ship would now begin to break apart on the way down to the planet's surface.

The gravity of the nearby body was starting to take effect on Adam. He felt himself getting pulled down to the ground, but the interior of the ship was at an angle now. It seemed like the nose of the ship was pointing down towards the ground. Desperate for purchase, Adam gripped a seat situated on the side of the main corridor and prayed that the experience would be over soon.

Interrupting his prayers, Adam was aware of the seat that he was gripping with his hands vibrated heavily once. Looking up, he saw a black armored boot on the headrest, completely stable despite the horrendous shaking of the ship. The boot, continuing to gaze upwards, belonged to a figure that was currently leaning over at him, watching as he was dangling from his perch. The figure was masked; face unreadable as Adam realized with a horrible certainty that he was going to die, here and now.

The form of his target continued to keep his visor pointed at Adam's face, perhaps studying him as if deciding how to kill him. The helmet had been placed upon his head at the first sign of trouble thanks to the automatic visor that the armor contained. Adam was dumbstruck, how could the target gain the upper hand so quickly? Then he realized that there was one invention that he had not considered and no matter how many times he had run through the plan in his head, this factor never came to light.

_Magnetic grips_. The target was magnetized.

That explains how he had been able to reach him so quickly. With his entire armor possessing the capability to climb on metal surfaces, he had effortlessly closed the gap since the confusion created by his explosives.

The helmet's unreadable expression suddenly rose as the figure stood. Adam then knew what was going to happen and braced for the impact. As expected, the target reared a heavy foot and brought it smashing down on Adam's nose, breaking it and sending blood streaming down his face.

The force of the blow caused Adam to lose his grip on the seat and fall towards the cockpit door, a good hundred feet down. He was filled with uncertainty. Would he accomplish his mission in the end? The answer did not come quickly enough as his back met the door.

* * *

There was an annoyance. Small particles were brushing across his face, irritating the skin. His eyes flared open to view what was causing these unwanted sensations and he gaped at what was in front of him.

From where he was sitting, he was nestled underneath a metal awning, but what lay beyond was a sea of sand and dust. The landscape was beige and dry, everything looked cracked and there was nothing in sight that looked living. The wind blew sand into where he was sitting and he coughed, trying to clear his eyes.

He moved his arms to lift him out of the way of the blowing debris, but a pain in his side caused him to scream in agony, not wanting to move any more. Looking down, he was shocked to see that a piece of rebar had pierced his side; blood was dripping down the wound and his leg. He stared at it for a while and tried to slide to the side. No use, there was still too much pain to even attempt to move in any direction.

Then it hit him. He was still alive. The ship had crashed on the planet, but he was still _alive_. He had brought down the ship, he had won. He gave a weak laugh as he bent his neck backwards, embracing the euphoria.

_I did it. I can die, knowing that I have avenged my brethren._

A slow crunching sound snapped Adam back to reality. Annoyed, he steeled himself. Was it a native, come to check out the crash? Was it one of the turians, trying to get a headcount on any survivors?

A shadow suddenly fell upon him as he squinted to bring about the figure's features. Tall, humanoid (not a krogan), black armored…

_No…it…it can't be._

But the figure slowly strode across to where Adam lay, lazily appraising the man's condition. The man that Adam was told to kill, was now standing over him, triumphant in the face of death once again.

The black helmet dipped a bit, "I should have known that I would see you people again. It was foolish of me to assume that I could escape you entirely."

Adam grinned, in spite of the pain, "You murdered dozens of my brothers. We would comb the very depths of hell to find you, even if it took a thousand lifetimes."

"Evidently," the helmeted man nodded. "But it is at this point, irrelevant. I will admit, you have pissed me off by putting me in this predicament and it took all of my willpower not to shoot you when I first spied you here."

"You going to fuckin' bore me to death, too?"

"Hm. I don't ever recall you people using that sort of language. They were all rather steadfast in their beliefs…no matter how wrong they were."

"I don't need you preaching _shit_ at me. Just hurry up and shoot me. You're so goddamn horny about your so-called victory that now I'm telling you to just get on with it."

The helmet tilted to the side, "Shoot you?" He laughed, "I'll admit that is a tempting offer but it wasn't quite what I had in mind. See, even though it would be very hypocritical to kill you with technology that you lot so abhor, I really think it would be more symbolic if I stooped to your level, for a change."

As he said this, the armored man picked up a large rock that had been strewn across the metal floor from the impact. He hefted it in a glove before addressing Adam again, "Normally, I would just let you die from an infection, but seeing as this is a hostile planet with no telling what to expect, I'd rather take no chances and just kill you here right now."

"B-But…I haven't-"

The man lifted the rock, "This might hurt a lot. Do give my regards to Daniel when you meet him at the bottom. I hear it's a long drop."

The arm descended.

* * *

For Her: Second Stage

**Author's Note: Well, I didn't expect to be back so soon, much less be back at all. But combined with the wonderful feedback I've received on the original For Her and my insatiable curiosity, I've decided to go ahead and craft more of this universe. The chapter updates will be considerably more spread out as I'm going to take my time with this but I mean to see it through until the end. Hope you enjoy the ride!**


	2. Chapter 1: Shock and Spar

2022

_3 Days after the Danbury Incident_

Alec Lee yawned as he clambered out of the skycar. He stifled it behind a hand, as tired as he seemed, he wanted to experience _everything_.

Just this morning, the ship that had departed Earth had arrived at a structure Alec could never have imagined in his life. The quarians, along with the rest of the species that shared the station, called it the Citadel. It looked like a starfish had pointed its arms in one direction, and that the center was circular and connected to all five arms. Alec had been plastered to the window for ten minutes straight, looking at it, before a nurse had entered his room, telling him that they had docked seven minutes ago.

With that brisk introduction, he was whisked away immediately to see what they called the Council, a representative body made up of various ambassadors from around the galaxy. A place on the Council meant that your species was viewed, in layman's terms, as an equal. The Council convened in a large chamber that overlooked the station. In Alec's mind it reminded him of a church. A small platform faced the Council's balcony, the area where addressors stood, positioned slightly lower than the Council, so they could retain their air of authority.

Four members currently comprised the Council, Alec had noted. He recognized the quarian councilor instantly, helmeted head standing out among his peers. There was a salarian (he had to be told about the different species), hooded and insectoid. A turian, which looked like a featherless raptor, angular and keen. Finally, an asari, rather similar in build to humans, aside from their blue skin and curved ridges that doubled for their "hair." In short, it was an motley collection of beings and Alec was so overwhelmed at seeing new aliens other than quarians that the man's mouth was hanging open.

For half an hour, the Council spoke to the lead human, a scientist by the name of Kitner. However, a few minutes into their conversation, it was apparent to Alec that he was not going to be addressed at all during this session. He didn't care if he wasn't important enough to rate on the Council's radar, he walked over to the side (as several of the guards watched him) and took his time admiring the architecture of the room. He relished the fact that he was one of the first humans to have traveled as far as he had.

_Top that, Danbury_.

Off in the corner of his eye, he spied the rest of the group trudging off the platform. With some reluctance, he rejoined them as he was escorted to a nearby elevator. As excited as he was, he was rather annoyed at how damn _long_ this elevator was taking to reach their destination, wherever it was. At least the news broadcasts projected over the loudspeaker provided something to focus on during the monotony of it all.

When the elevators opened, the group was ushered into a courtyard, of sorts. In big, holographic letters read "C-Sec," whatever that was. Walking down a corridor and hanging a left, they were led into a room where a rather bored looking turian (as determined by his slouching posture) brought up his console at the sight of his new guests, ready to "process" them, as he called it.

When the "processing" was finished, Alec had stepped out of the room feeling strange. While in there, he had received his housing information and he learned that the clerk was working for Citadel Security, better known as C-Sec. Basically they were the station's police force, only they received military training and gear in order to combat crime that was infecting the station. Alec had perked his eyebrows up at that. Military training could come in handy someday and he kind of needed a job now, since he left his old Earth-based one quite abruptly. So, displaying the usual kind of prudence, he had blurted out his interest in C-Sec where the clerk, with what amounted to a surprised look, sent him over the necessary application information over to his omni-tool.

He was still getting used to this fantastic device. The omni-tool was designed to activate with just the tiniest thought that transferred through implants embedded in the skin where it could perform a number of operations. He hadn't even known he'd been given the necessary implants until his arm was suddenly surrounded in an orange glow that, for a second, he thought his arm had inexplicably combusted. He, after heavily recoiling and letting out a few choice words, later determined that when he was lying unconscious in the quarian ship's med bay, he had been implanted in preparation for this inevitability. Most likely the quick thinking of someone he knew.

So now, he was practically thrust into the heart of the Citadel with nothing but an address of an apartment located near the embassies. That seemed like a good place to start until things had settled down for him. A good night's rest would fix that. He hurried over to where people seemed to be acquiring transport, wincing in pain as the fast movement made his leg throb. He remembered the blow that caused it, how he'd stumbled and thought he was going to die, at the hands of an insane psychotic.

That was immaterial as he now stood where no human had stood before. He walked over to the crowd, found one of the transports that were being hailed and lowered himself in the front. There were no visible controls for him to manipulate, there wasn't even a driver. He sat there, just twiddling his thumbs, waiting for _something_ to happen.

"Oh…crap," he exclaimed, feeling a surge of embarrassment. Of course these things would respond to omni-tool commands, it was obvious. Opening the hologram, he connected with the car's VI and proceeded to relay the address for the apartment to the navigation system. Ten minutes later, the car lowered itself in front of a rather dull looking building.

This was where Alec was at now, reading the address listed on top of the building and checking if it corresponded with the one he was given. Satisfied at the match, he walked towards the door where it automatically opened.

* * *

The lobby, much like the entrance, was rather sparse. Nothing of interest, except the same style of architecture that you could find around the station. He sensed a common theme inherent. He approached his elevator and pushed the number for his floor. Reaching it, he was pleased to see that his room was directly opposite from the elevator.

_Silver linings_, he thought as he opened the door.

It wasn't that bad, he thought as he entered. It actually reminded him more of a hotel room given how clean things were. There was a small living room with a kitchen, all of which looked, at least, operable. The bathroom featured equipment that looked somewhat familiar; it even had a glass-walled shower. The bedroom actually had two beds, he noted with surprise. In fact, he was rather impressed with the whole arrangement until he was struck with the idea that it was missing something. That mental gap was quickly filled when he stepped around the corner to get a better view of the room until a purple blur sprung up from the nearest bed, previously hidden and wrapped him in a warm hug that sent both of them collapsing on the bed.

"You're back!" Tali exclaimed happily. "How did it go? I want to hear all about it!"

The questions were rattled off in rapid-fire so Alec had to place his hands to the sides of the quarians helmet in an effort to get her to quiet for a moment.

"I'm still rather thunderstruck," Alec admitted. "I realize that you said that there were other species in the galaxy but I don't think my brain was prepared to handle them all at once."

Tali'Zorah laughed, "Kind of a leap for an alien who came from a back-water planet at the edge of civilized space?"

"Crude, but true," Alec said begrudgingly, "Technically."

Both of them sat up so that they were facing each other on the bed, Alec's legs dangling while Tali sat cross-legged.

"And the Council? What did they say?"

"To me? Nothing. To the other humans? I have no idea, I wasn't really paying attention."

"You _bosh'tet_, they might have said something important."

Alec sighed, "I'm not sure, I did learn a lot when I was put in for processing, that was where they gave me my housing information and a job tip. How exactly did you know to come here, by the way?"

"Oh, I think that was because I listed you in my contacts as…um…'together,'" Tali said as Alec suspected she was blushing. "I got a message from the office and I thought I'd surprise you."

"And surprise me you did. I really haven't experienced many other emotions today other than surprise. I'm betting that I'm probably going to…oh, there it is."

Alec suddenly fell over on his back, onto the bed. Tali leaned over him, concerned, "What's wrong?"

Alec murmured, "I think because of all of the exertion today my body is kind of quitting on me. I'm just glad the beds are so comfortable because it looks like I'm about to crash in the next minute."

Tali put a gloved hand to his forehead, "Do you need anything from me?" He was always struck by her concern for him as it felt good to know that there was someone out there who cared for him. Of course, he would have done the same for her any day.

Thinking for a bit, Alec smiled, "Only if you stay with me here tonight."

"You know I'm going to, you dope."

Alec, fighting his tiredness, reached with an arm to grab Tali's waist, dragging her body over to his. She raised her arms so that one was draped around Alec's head, the other on his chest.

"I'm glad."

* * *

_One month later_

Alec stretched his legs as he stepped into the gym. If he was to compare it to something like Earth's, and truth be told, he couldn't tell any difference. The room was wide and sectioned much like any gym. You had your weight machines, your running machines, a boxing ring, and smaller rings to the side for wrestling. It was at these smaller rings that Alec stood and positioned himself at the ready for his opponent.

For the past few weeks, Alec had begun submitting himself to the C-Sec training program. Despite the fact that he was an alien with no representative seat on the Council, he had a recommendation from a noted quarian captain, signed by the councilor that allowed him free reign to pursue any lifestyle on board the Citadel, providing it was legal.

Upon this news, Alec took advantage of the promise of military training and walked up to the C-Sec headquarters and requested an application. Despite the stunned looking salarian clerk, he had provided all the necessary paperwork and was promised a reply within the next week. That week came and went and now he found himself here.

Tali had initially objected to the fact that he was pursuing a job that, for all intents and purposes, was dangerous. Alec harbored no illusions, he had seen cop shows on television before, and he knew what they were like. Fortunately in his case, police work on the Citadel is a little more complex than on Earth. For one, there is a lot more material to process and handle for all of the officers, plus you have to deal with the allocation of valuable resources that one officer, eventually, will make a bust on. Coincidentally, C-Sec was having major logistics problems while trying to simplify and improve their current processes. All Alec had to do was mention that he had extensive experience in supply chains and he was all but assured a place in their SCM department, thus putting him out of harm's way and simultaneously relieving his worried girlfriend.

He had to pass the various tests first, before all of that could happen. He had spent a week straight studying for the written test, which thankfully did not include random tidbits about the history of the galaxy (facts he wasn't privy to), that detailed mostly police procedure for all potential officers. Passing with flying colors, he now had to conquer the physical tests.

Unlike Earth, C-Sec didn't measure its physical tests in terms of peak performance, C-Sec monitored the length of time their recruits worked out and determined, based on periodic performance reviews, whether they could make the cut physically. So far, Alec had passed the running and shooting portions of the physical exam, all that was left was the hand-to-hand combat portion.

Which he was currently waiting on at this moment, his physical trainer was usually here at this moment, a rather rough asari who was fond of throwing recruits against the wall with her biotic abilities. The figure suddenly striding across to him definitely wasn't her, which made him all the more surprised when this person unbuttoned his outer shirt, took off his tactical eyepiece, and assumed the proper stance.

Alec sized up the turian standing across from him. He was half a head taller but thinner than Alec. He seemed to like the color blue as his clothes were dark and the fact that he had painted his face with a few blue lines. It reminded Alec of football, at least as far as the location of the stripes was concerned.

"You're not my usual," he started cautiously. "You waiting for someone?"

The turian cocked his head, "Actually, they told me that I'm to be your regular. They forgot to mention that you were a human, though."

"I've been getting that a lot," Alec said with a sigh. "You going to put it past you or are we going to have a problem?"

"Nah, I figure that if a human wants to join up for this, then it has its priorities in order." Stepping forward, the turian launched a series of jabs to Alec chest, who was caught completely unprepared, sagging to a knee and coughing. The turian stepped back, satisfied.

Finished with his bout, Alec brought himself up, "I rather resent the objectification. The name's Alec." At this, Alec swung a haymaker at the turian's head, who blocked it easily and countered with an elbow to the ribs.

"Alec? That's a weird name. Do they all have such poor taste on that planet you come from?"

Realizing what the turian was doing, Alec grinned, "That isn't even the worst of it. Let's just say that there are several parents with no concept of naming children whatsoever." He blocked an incoming blow to roll on his knees. Following through, he grabbed the waist of the turian to pull him down to the ground in an attempt to get him in a leg lock.

"I…read…about what…happened on your…planet," the turian wheezed in the hold. "I'm more amazed that they…let you on…the station after what happened." Suddenly, the alien jerked and broke free of the hold. Both men sprung to their feet, arms at the ready for the next barrage. "I mean," he continued. "Humans kill the messengers from Council space and they're still welcomed here?"

"If it's any consolation, I killed the humans that killed them." They were circling each other now, two predators squaring off.

"Very funny."

"Seriously. You want to know where I got this scar from?" He rolled up his sleeve to show the turian his shoulder, still marked after a bullet had passed clean through it in a parking lot. The turian's head tilted to see the scar and Alec took his chance, sending a punch straight into the turian's face, staggering him and dropping him to a knee.

"_Goddamn_, it hurts to punch you people," Alec growled, clutching his hand.

"You went for the cheap shot," the turian spat, a hand over its face.

"I'm getting tired. Besides, all I've been learning here are the wrong techniques. Every fighting style that has been taught to me here are all meant for aliens other than human. In fact, I'm just going to play this by ear for the rest of the session and just wing it."

"You sure?"

Alec nodded, "Absolutely."

The turian moved in, eager to finish. He moved in to place a fist on the side of Alec's jaw, but the human ducked underneath the blow and sidestepped to his left. Confused, the turian was still looking where the human had gone when he felt two fists impact on the side of his body. Clutching the affected area, he fell where immediately he felt an arm snake around his neck while a pair of feet wrapped around his waist.

It was no use, he was pinned. He knew that if he wanted to retain what little dignity he had left, he should tap out. Moments later, the arms and legs removed themselves from the uncomfortable position.

Gasping, the turian turned to address the red-faced human, who was currently puffing out loud. Shaking his head, the turian extended a hand in congratulations, "You did well, human. I might have to get you a drink for that. I'm impressed."

Smiling, Alec returned the shake, "I wouldn't beat yourself up over it, you kind of had a huge tell whenever you were going to throw a wide punch."

"Heh. Maybe once we're properly drunk you can relay that bit of information to me for future reference."

"Not a chance. And the name's Alec. I don't suppose you have a name as well since I've had to give mine twice already?"

The turian flexed his mandibles in appreciation; he did not expect such an alien to offer the courtesy of asking for one's name, never mind the sarcasm. "Garrus Vakarian."

"I think you and I are going to get along just fine, Garrus."


	3. Chapter 2: Grit

2026

_Present Day_

The armored man stepped away from the corpse. The blood was already starting to dry on the floor of the ruined ship. Giving a nod of acknowledgement, he stepped outside into the Tuchanka air, where bits of sand and debris started to assault him.

He wasn't worried about that. His armor, although damaged in some areas, was still intact and he hadn't suffered any compromising injuries thanks to impacting on a planet's surface. It appears that luck was on his side, he was untouchable.

What did worry him, though, was the fact that he was effectively marooned on this planet. He didn't know how far away he was from the nearest settlement, or even if said settlement contained a space-worthy ship. Right now, he was even lacking the proper gear to make a trek out in the first place.

His pistol had become lost in the crash. All he had on him was a turian combat knife, a gift from a friend. He needed to get to the armory of the ship, provided it was still intact. All of the necessary supplies would be in there.

Gazing across the landscape, the figure spied the other half of the ship in the distance; it had split in two when it crashed. He estimated that it was only two miles away, not a problem for someone in his condition. Hopping down, he started to trudge across the sand to where he knew he could find weapons, gear, and food. He would need all of them if he intended to leave this place alive.

The blowing sand was making it hard for him to set a steady pace. Once or twice he was blown backward a few inches, despite the heavy armor. Grunting, he threw his weight forward and continued on, undeterred by the raging weather.

It had only been half an hour when his auditory sensors in his helmet picked up something that _wasn't_ sand scraping over sand. The figure paused where he stood, making slow movement to survey the area. As if that would do any good, he couldn't see more than ten feet in front of him. There was nothing around him that would provide good cover; he had no choice but to continue on his set path.

Suddenly, he heard the footfalls of something running at him from _behind_. Whirling, he met the object head on as it lunged for his face. Ducking into a roll, the man dodged the attack and leapt up to face his aggressor, simultaneously drawing the combat knife from his arm sheath.

The varren circled, as if waiting for something. The man knew that because the initial attack had failed, different tactics would be utilized. These were pack animals, they weren't very smart as a single unit but together, they could bring down several krogan. The sensors in his helmet picked up audio again, but the man expected this and thrust his knife to the right, catching another varren, who had sprung up to attack, in the throat. Slashing his arm across, he opened up its throat and resumed staring at the alpha, who had been sitting where it was the whole time.

Tilting his head in admiration, the armored figure then proceeded to slash in all directions, every swing catching a new varren that had burst out of the storm to attack. Once or twice, when two attacked at a time, he threw out a foot to send one sprawling while he finished off the partner. Eight more bodies soon joined the first until the original combatants were left.

The alpha varren sensed this change, but rather than turn and flee, it gingerly put a paw forward and assumed a pouncing position. The man smiled under the helmet. If it wanted a good death then it would get one. The red-skinned varren abruptly sprung forward, jumping to grab the human in its jaws until it violently jerked in mid-air, sprawled to the side. Confused, the figure saw a hole in the side of its throat, it had been shot to pieces. But who-?

"I see you've managed to make a mess of things without me and now I have to get you out of trouble," a flanged, multi-toned voice pierced the storm. The man faced the newest figure that appeared out of the blowing sand. This one was a turian, helmeted, blue armor, but the most distinguishing feature was the custom sniper rifle that he held. He remembered it because he had given it to him and the turian, in turn, had presented the knife to him, so long ago.

Alec Lee reached out to grasp the turian's forearms in greeting, their version of a handshake, "Vakarian, you son of a bitch. I'll be damned if you aren't a sight for sore eyes."

* * *

"I'll admit, when I woke, I didn't expect to see you still standing."

"I'm adaptable, Garrus. I thought you would have known that by now."

They stood in the armor, which mercifully sheltered the both of them from the storm. Alec had proceeded to find an assault rifle, a volus built M-8 Avenger, and a Elanus M-3 Predator. Not his first choice of weapons but he really couldn't afford to be choosy in this situation.

Garrus meanwhile, had already scrounged the ship for food, which lay in a bag between them. Also in it were thermal clips for the guns and spare power cells.

Garrus simply shook his head at the comment, "After all of the stuff you told me, I should have known it. But we do happen to be trapped on a desolate planet. Tuchanka isn't really the garden spot of the galaxy, you know."

Alec, his helmet now off, frowned, "You don't say, Garrus? After all, I thought I was coming along this trip to provide backup, not to set up a tea party."

Garrus threw up his hands, "Hey, you _wanted_ to go. After all, I certainly didn't force you to."

"That's because you knew that I would take any chance to explore the galaxy. Humans are naturally curious, Garrus."

"Yeah….about that. What exactly was all _that_ about up there?"

Alec sighed. He ran a hand through his short hair, "They're back, Garrus."

"Who?" Garrus' head tilted, "The zealots? I thought you killed them back on your planet."

"I did too," Alec shrugged. "I probably should have assumed that I had not killed all of them but I never dreamed that they would follow me here."

"Faith makes you do crazy things."

"I hear that. Speaking of which, we'd better figure out a game plan to get back home. Tali's going to _kill_ me."

"If she doesn't already think you're dead."

"Oh _fuck_ me," Alec breathed. "No one will know. She will have nothing to prove that I'm still alive once the Citadel discovers that we've stopped responding. They wouldn't perform a search and rescue on Tuchanka, would they?"

Garrus shook his head, "Too dangerous. Relations with the krogan are not exactly at their best. They've been particularly adamant about not allowing outsiders and the arrival of foreign ships will just cause an incident, which we kind of don't want."

"Oh _Christ_. When I get back, I'm going to have to apologize for the next ten years of my life to make it up to her."

Garrus walked over to grab his shoulder in reassurance, "She's a tough girl, Alec. She'll understand. That's why you two are perfect together. You are always thinking about the other."

Alec smiled, he could always count on Garrus to cheer him up, "Thanks, man. Just glad there's someone else to share this predicament with me."

Garrus barked out a laugh, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, we may not have a way to get home, but we have a way to get to a place that _might_."

"Go on," Alec said, interested.

Garrus held up a finger, "You might not know, being a human and all, that most turian frigates carry state-of-the-art survival gear. This should be news to you because you…never really qualified for this sort of information."

"I think it was the part where I had to be a turian in the navy to know this. Get to the point, Garrus."

The turian's mandibles curled in the expression of a smile, "So…we have this." He lifted a black, round object up onto the table that stood in the middle of the room; it looked like a black sphere to Alec.

"Behold," Garrus announced. "The Y76 Surveillance Drone, our eye in the sky." Opening his omni-tool, Garrus pushed a series of buttons until the sphere suddenly floated above the table and levitated through the doors, into the swirling maelstrom outside.

"What exactly does that do?"

"Simple, it goes up into the thermosphere and scans the ground below, which feeds directly into my omni-tool, or my eyepiece…take your pick." He gestured to the blue tinted headwear that he adorned every single waking moment. Alec wouldn't have been surprised if the turian wore the damned thing to sleep.

"Anything yet, or do we have to wait a while?"

Garrus glanced up at the human, "Well, we're not looking to scan the whole planet. Just the area between us and the nearest town…aha! Got something." Garrus started manipulating the image hovering over his arm, "According to this, there's a settlement only fifty klicks away to the southeast."

Alec nodded and grabbed the bag containing the food and the gear, "You ready to go now or do you want to wait until the storm dies down?"

Closing the omni-tool, Garrus snorted, "On a planet such as this? Now. I'm not spending another minute here if my life depends on it."

* * *

Silas closed the console at which he sat. He leaned back in his chair, a look of smug satisfaction starting to spread across his face.

_It is done._

He savored the moment for a minute before rising from his desk. His followers needed to be addressed. They needed to hear the news for which they had longed for years.

He walked into the cramped, sparse, room. The Citadel may have been spacious by alien standards but the quality of their lower income areas was the absolute sticks. The apartment which he and his men had appropriated was bare, uncomfortable, and lacked even a window. No matter, such trivialities would be paid back in kind soon.

The three men seated in the only chairs in the room straightened when Silas entered. He shut the door behind him as a habit before speaking, "Adam did his duty. The _Kevzin_ has been lost."

A sigh of relief escaped all three men. One raised himself slightly before speaking, "Are we sure that….he's actually dead? I mean, if he survived-"

"No one could have survived a crashing ship," one of the men interjected. "Least of all, a ship crashing on one of the most dangerous planets in the galaxy."

"Marcus is correct, Yousef," Silas said, quietly. "The fact that the traitor has perished amongst the demons that he has held in such high regard is effective in its symbolism. Regardless, I am confident that we will never see the likes of him again."

Marcus now rose to speak, "And what of our informant? His information did pay off, or should we silence him in an effort to stay true to-"

Silas shook his head, "Our courteous benefactor will not be harmed. There is no one he could go to with the information, and no one will ever find out that it was him that sold the traitor out, provided he stays mum. As far as I'm concerned, he can live the rest of his life in peace…just so long as he isn't around when the hammer falls."

Slight chuckles reverberated through the room at that. Silas gave a grin before proceeding, "Now, with him out of the way, we can now focus on Operation Sodom. Derek-," he addressed the third man who hadn't spoken yet. "-are the men ready for what they are about to do?"

Derek nodded, "Yes, although I would recommend at least a few more weeks of training. The men are also getting tired and I believe that they are entitled to some shore leave."

"Yes," Silas agreed. "It would be best. Provided they _don't_ blather a word about what is to happen, I hope?"

Shaking his head, Derek continued, "No, sir. They wouldn't dare for fear of how their soul would be affected. They won't talk."

With a nod of satisfaction, Silas walked to the center of the room, "Excellent, gentlemen. Father Daniel-," he paused at the mention of the man's name, "-would be proud of you for making it this far. We strike in two weeks' time. Review your procedures and drills. We will show the demons the true colors of humanity."

He glared menacingly across the room, "And they will fear our wrath."

* * *

The soft _ping_ of the nearby console was enough to rouse Tali from her slumber. Yawning, she lifted her helmeted head off the bed and over to the desk. The keyboard was glowing; a message had just been received.

Tiredness forgotten, she hopped off the bed and rushed over to the screen, eager to open and read its contents. Alec had promised her that he would give her regular updates when they landed. A quick glance at the chronometer told her that he should have landed about two hours ago.

He was probably delayed, she thought. He wouldn't be late unless he had a good reason. She was relishing the opportunity to chew him out on his tardiness, he was never late.

She sat down and moved the icon over the mail message, she quickly scanned the first line before her eyes, initially uncomprehending, shot back to the top to read each word slowly.

"_Miss Zorah,_

_We regret to inform you that…"_

The whole message became a blur to her after that. The _Kevzin_ crashed? On Tuchanka? She hurried down the wall of text, desperate for a shred of good news. Where was the part about any survivors? Surely they must have made a mistake, he couldn't be gone. He was her human, he was her lover…

_He was…her-_

Screaming, she threw herself off the chair and onto the bed. _Their bed_. She cried out loud into the emptiness of the room, pleading for a sign that it wasn't true. That he wasn't dead.

_He- he said he wo-would never…_leave me_…_

Sobbing, she clutched the nearest pillow and cradled it in her arms as she rocked from side to side. She buried her face in it, trying to seek solace in the comforting blackness as she whispered to herself, between sobs.

"Why, Alec? Y-you _promised_…why…."


	4. Chapter 3: Night Out

2022

_Citadel – Eight months after the Danbury Incident_

Alec cracked his neck as he stepped off the lift on the Wards. Ignoring all of the glowing neon signs, he purposefully strode to a nearby staircase which led to a blank hall. Approaching another set of stairs, he moved past the sliding door to enter the bar beyond.

Flux was a popular destination for Citadel residents; it catered to every species and had a quieter ambiance than the rest of the clubs on the station. There were quasar machines set up on the second floor, occasional dancers floated by, and a large bar with a rather friendly turian manning it.

Sidling up to the counter, he produced a chit and the bartender rushed off to prepare his usual. Alec liked Flux, it was a place where he was not treated as an alien (most of the time) but as just a patron. Usually, he would be annoyed at the anonymity, but in this case he savored every chance he could to breathe and feel normal again.

His drink was carried out to him and he sipped, giving an appraising nod. The drink was of asari origin; he didn't know what was in it (and probably didn't _want_ to know), but it tasted all right and it was mild enough to not send him crashing to the floor. He didn't need firsthand experience to tell that drinking krogan ryncol absolutely messes you up if you weren't…a krogan. Horror stories like that were routinely swapped across the club and Alec heard every word.

He grimaced as he swallowed a portion too large, feeling the burn of the liquor down his throat. He wished that he could just have a normal beer, but the sad truth was that there weren't enough humans on the station to warrant stocking _their_ spirits. This, plus the fact that there didn't seem to be a large selection of alcohol that humans could ingest, meant that Alec was severely limited in options to get drunk. He wondered if he would get so desperate that he would try one of the dextro drinks, but the prospect of debilitating stomach cramps was enough for him to hold back, for now.

He sighed and looked around the bar, straightening his back as he did so. Despite his desk job at C-Sec (which he had been residing comfortably in all this time), he still maintained a strict exercising regimen with Garrus three days a week. Initially, his body had given him hell for the source of punishment, but after months of getting bruised, battered, and shouted at, he was now in the best shape of his life. Unconsciously flexing an arm, he felt the muscle on his bicep. Definitely bigger than when he was on Earth. He had weighed himself and saw that he had gained at least thirty pounds of muscle ever since he had arrived on the Citadel. It was uncanny, he was feeling better than ever because of this. He even managed to eat well, despite the foreign cuisine. Turns out, there were several asari establishments on the Citadel that featured food in levo format, although it was comprised mostly of seafood. Alec never minded seafood, but now he was dining on it every single day and was starting to appreciate it as a source of nourishment. It was healthy, it was always cooked perfectly, and hell, he had most likely eaten worse when he lived back on Earth. Three cups of Easy Mac for dinner was not exactly listed as part of a balanced meal.

But now, as his eyes were drawn to the door, he relaxed as a purple hooded figure quickly came sauntering over to where he stood. Tali moved past the crowd that was starting to gather and walked over to the human who embraced her in a hug.

"Hello, love," she greeted. "Have you been here long?"

"Not long at all, baby," Alec smiled. "You going to go with the usual for tonight?"

"That's the plan," she nodded. "Did you tell the bartender that already?"

"Yep," he shrugged as he reached behind him to produce a sealed glass. "I figured that there wasn't going to be many surprises tonight. Was your day productive?"

For the past few months, Tali had been working as an engineer in the quarian docks. She was in charge of the repair team and worked fervently during her shifts to make sure that her peoples' craft were space-worthy and relatively glitch-free. It was a low risk, but high paying job and she loved tinkering with all of the various starships that happened to grace her docking bay.

Tali graciously accepted the glass, rather tickled that he had remembered her favorite drink, "It was good. There was not as much traffic today so we had some down time to relax between working on the ships. And the repairs were all relatively minor, a breach here, a faulty engine there, it was a rather simple day. But with that sort of wording that you used earlier, were there many surprises for you today?"

Alec raised his eyes in thought, "Not really. I'm kind of surprised how simple procurement is for this station. Even if it is for a huge security force and that I've been doing this for almost six months," he set his drink down before continuing. "I mean, most of the purchases are automated and all I have to do is pretty much look and see if there any discrepancies with the products that we're using versus the products we're buying. It's kind of funny because, relatively speaking, I'm getting paid a whole lot more than I did for my old job…and I was in a higher position."

Tali laughed, "Somehow you always find a way to compare life here to your homeworld."

"That decision to leave was sprung on me rather quickly, if you recall."

"But I only gave you the idea that you could come until the day before, on…you know…that night…"

Alec chuckled while throwing an arm around Tali's shoulders, "That night was a night full of surprises. But, in the end, it turned out to be one of the best in my life…despite the beating that I took to get to the finish, wouldn't you agree?"

Tali's eyes shone through the translucent visor before she said silkily, "Definitely. Did you want to see if you could top that night when we get back home after I check to see if you're…fully healed?"

_Oh my god_. It took every ounce of willpower Alec could muster not to start whooping and rushing over to the dance floor in jubilation. Instead, he took a quick sip of his drink before answering her, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, "You read my mind, Miss Zorah."

Drawing a straw from a pouch on her waist, she took a pull from her drink, "We just got here, though. Maybe spend an hour here before heading back?"

Alec nodded, understanding. Tali always liked to wind down after a day at work. He knew that she liked hanging around Flux because of its comfortable atmosphere. Plus, the music wasn't half bad, even if was all comprised of a pop-techno hybrid.

"What?" A new voice joined them, "Don't tell me that you're leaving when I just got here?"

Incredulous, Alec turned to see a turian standing right behind him, that damned headpiece still in its proper place. "What the hell, Garrus? I didn't even see you there!"

He reached up to give the turian the proper armshake, despite the other's insistence that he didn't need to do so. Alec always ignored him, secretly preferring the brotherly lock that felt more personal than just a simple handshake. Tali meanwhile had protectively coiled her arms around Alec's waist at the sight of the new visitor.

"I don't suppose you've come here to beat up my boyfriend again, Garrus?" Light teasing in her voice.

"Don't tell me you're still upset over the fact that we spar together and that injuries happen?" Garrus said defensively.

"He kept coming home covered in bruises the first month! I was so worried that he'd been getting into fights that I didn't believe him right away when he said that he was 'working out!'"

"Well, as a matter of fact, he's not the only one coming home with wounds now." The turian slightly lifted his shirt to show a bandage over his ribs, "Your 'boyfriend' went all out on me today and it was only by some miracle that I managed to escape with my life. Say anything you want about humans, but they are quick learners."

"All right, all right," Alec interrupted, prying himself from Tali's grip. "I'm standing right here and I'm perfectly fine. No one's beating anyone else up today."

"Easy for you to say," Garrus interjected. "I'm still having trouble breath-"

"Garrus, shut up," Alec said firmly but it was done in such a way that both started laughing. Suddenly, the floor started vibrating with the beats of the next song on the playlist. Tali jolted and grabbed at Alec's arm.

"Oh, I love this song!" She was now starting to pull him towards the dance floor, "There's no way that you're getting out of here without sharing a dance with me tonight!"

Alec groaned, but he was either too smart or too drunk to argue with her at a time like this. He personally felt that he couldn't dance for crap, despite the fact that no one in the club could possibly care. Garrus, now left alone, was staring, confused.

"What am I supposed to do now?" He yelled, annoyed.

Alec shrugged, still in Tali's firm grip, "Buy yourself a drink, I guess. I'll be back in ten minutes."

"This song is only over in three! Alec!"

Ignoring the yells of the aggravated turian, Tali had now successfully reached the center of the floor. Without waiting for a cue, she launched her arms up and started swaying with the rhythm, hips timed perfectly to the beat. Alec just stood there, mesmerized by her motions before she piped up.

"Are you just going to stand there? Keelah, Alec, _dance_!"

Gaping, Alec could only shrug as he too started to move his arms and legs to the music. If he was back on Earth, he would have been laughed at instantly, called out in front of his peers. He knew, that compared to the wide assortment of beings around him, there was nothing that he could do that would classify himself as a bad dancer, at least for this crowd. There were turians performing some sort of jerky motion, a salarian was awkwardly swaying back and forth, and even the occasional hanar would pass by, tentacles waving in what could only pass for their version of dancing.

However, by a long shot, the best one in the room happened to be the person right in front of him. Tali was absolutely sublime, she seemed to flow like water to the vibrant sounds escaping from the speakers above. Compared to his stupid moves, he was definitely outclassed in this regard.

Suddenly, Tali moved closer to throw her arms around his neck, still moving her body in time. Alec reflexively responded by placing his hands on her hips as they united, one being in the center of the room.

"I got this idea from one of your vids in your collection," she said, most likely smiling behind the mask. "It looked like fun and I wanted to try it out."

"Which one was that?" Alec asked, wanting clarification.

"I think it was called…oh, what was it…'Basic Instinct,' maybe?"

Alec stopped dead in his tracks, "When the _hell_ did you watch Basic Instinct? That was certainly a movie I would never have brought on to you. I don't even think that's part of my collection I have right now!"

"Oh, I saw it back on Earth. I couldn't sleep and I was perusing your films and it looked interesting. I've actually been meaning to ask you some questions about some scenes…"

You could have fit a tennis ball in Alec's mouth considering the distance it had dropped at these words, "I…I…I'm rather…damn, this kind of got awkward fast…"

"Why?" There was a noticeable mocking tone in her voice now, "Is it because it featured so much…"

"Nope! No, no, no, no, no," Alec was shaking his head, starting to resume his awkward dancing. "We are not having this discussion here. I didn't even think I would ever have to explain _this_ to you. Oh lord, it just got very hot in here."

Tali giggled, relishing his uncomfortableness, "Come on, let's go see what kind of trouble Garrus has gotten himself into. We've danced long enough, longer than you've tolerated at least, so thank you." Backing off the dance floor, she was suddenly surprised to feel a tap on her shoulder. Now it was her turn to whirl around in surprise and see who it was.

"Tali'Zorah?" The voice belonged to another quarian. This one was a male, periwinkle visor, and matched her height. His armor was distinguished by a brownish-red pattern that wrapped around white plating and covered part of the tubes that connected him to his life support systems. Tali squinted before recognizing the man that the voice belonged to.

"Veetor'Nara? Is that you?" She suddenly embraced the quarian in what looked like a bone-crushing hug, from Alec's perspective. He arched an eyebrow while he waited for Tali to continue on, interested to hear more.

"I thought that could have been you, Tali," Veetor said, "You always were easy to pick out in a crowd." At this, the quarian shifted uncomfortably, as if he didn't like the idea of being in the middle of one, let alone a populated area.

"I didn't know you were on the station!" Tali swooped down for another hug. "It's been almost six years since we've last seen each other!"

Veetor, as if noticing the figure standing behind her the whole time, gestured with this hand, "A human? I've never seen one this close up before. Veetor'Nara."

Alec was surprised to see that the quarian held out his hand in greeting. He was clearly well informed. He stepped forward to take the offered hand, "Alec Lee, I take it you two have known each other."

Tali nodded, "Veetor was my best friend on the Flotilla. He and I went off on our Pilgrimages at about the same time."

"She told me last that she was going with the envoy to your homeworld," Veetor said. "I was surprised to hear you were not back yet when I returned." The quarian put an arm on Tali's shoulder, a gesture that Alec frowned at, starting to get warm again.

"I…got a little sidetracked," Tali admitted somewhat sheepishly, oblivious to the slight dip in Alec's behavior. "I wanted to stay and see some more of the world that I got…let's just say a little more involved than I thought."

"That's not the word I would use to describe it," Alec coughed. They were now up against the side of the bar, where they could have a quiet moment to talk. The bar was rather packed at this time.

Veetor tilted his head in Alec's direction, "And what about you? Where do you fit in all this?"

Answering in his stead, Tali blurted, "We're…_together_, Veetor. We found out that we both had strong feelings for the other. It turned out to be on a different _planet_, of all things." She wrapped one arm around Alec's waist while putting the arm over his chest, in confirmation.

Veetor stood, frozen. For a while he was speechless, until he managed in a strangled voice, "That's…excellent, Tali. I-I didn't know that…" He edged away from the pair, uncertain, "I…just came by to tell you, Tali, that I had been assigned to your dock unit as of today. I should probably go. I…don't want to interrupt your night further."

"Veetor, wait!" Alec held up a hand, trying to be courteous. "You're not interrupting anything, you're welcome to stay for a bit, if you'd like."

Veetor slowly shook his head, "No thank you, Alec. I've stayed too long anyway. Have a good night." Uttering these words, he scurried through the crowd to the door in the back of the room. Alec and Tali stood in their original positions, a little befuddled at the man's behavior.

"That was…odd," Alec managed.

"He was always nervous in crowds. I don't think it did him any good."

Alec furrowed his brow in concentration, "He seemed nice enough. I'm betting we will see more of him in the future."

Tali gave a slow nod, "Yes, I think he will."

Alec walked around to face Tali directly, "I think that you should keep an eye out, though. Veetor seemed to like you a lot. Did you notice the way he put his hand on you"

She waved a hand at that, "He's always had a crush on me. I think he was upset at the prospect that I was taken. He's never responded well to rejection."

He relaxed, relieved that she had noticed the obvious tell, "Well, that sounds a lot better. For a second I thought he was also mad at the fact that I was a human, but I couldn't tell if it was blatant racism or not."

Tali jerked, "Oh no, Veetor's never been like that. And…I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before. Don't tell me you're _jealous_?"

Alec gave a little chuckle, "Possessive is a better word. Extremely possessive."

"No way, mister. You forget, you belong to _me_."

"Point taken, Miss Zorah. Come on, let's go see if Garrus needs any rescuing from himself."

After practically ramming themselves to the crowd to reach the bar, half an hour later than Alec said they'd be back, they found Garrus, still in his same stool, chatting to a turian female that looked very disinterested at the moment. Or at least it looked that way, Alec always had trouble reading turian faces. Garrus was drunk off his rocker, judging by the three glasses arranged in front of him and he was seemingly desperate to take this woman home with him.

"Did you know…that women like scars?" the turian slurred. "I have a big one, below the belt. Do you want to see it?"

The woman was having none of it, turning to the side to give Garrus the shoulder. Undeterred, he soldiered on.

"Come on, you look like a gal who needs a bit of a workout. I know just the exercise to get that ass of yours into shape."

Fed up, the woman slapped Garrus across the face and abruptly left, leaving behind a very confused turian. Alec and Tali, both trying hard not to laugh, walked up alongside him.

"Garrus," Alec said. "If that approach has worked for you in the past then I'm not sure who to feel sorry for."

Garrus sighed, dejected, "It was going so well, too."

"_Well_?" Tali now intervened. "The only thing that went well was…actually, nothing went well in that case. Regardless, you are drunk and you are going home _right now_."

"Oh, come on," Garrus whined. "Slave driver, I was just getting warmed up."

"Sure, Garrus," Alec said with mild sarcasm. "That's why we're getting you home. You're providing too much competition for everyone else in this place." They reached the lobby of the wards, where Tali stood by a skycar stand and pushed the call button. Alec and Garrus stood only a few feet behind.

"You never did tell me," Garrus began through his haze. "How did you end up with Tali? It must have been a killer pick-up line…"

Alec could only laugh at the timing, "I killed five people who were trying to hurt her." Garrus' mandibles twitched at that. Alec continued, "You may think I'm lying now but it's the truth and she will only say the same thing."

Garrus could only stare as he was lowered into the skycar by a quarian and a human. "I've got some catching up to do…"

* * *

The door to the apartment opened and Alec yawned as he entered the now familiar abode. Tali, right behind him, entered the bathroom and closed the door.

"As far as date nights go," Alec said loudly. "I thought that this was pretty successful."

"Date night?" Tali said from behind the bathroom door. "Is that a human saying or something?"

"Well, yeah!"

"It's appropriate. I like it."

Silence passed for a while before Alec spoke, "Did you want to watch another vid tonight?" He turned away to activate his omni-tool, which glowed immediately. "I've got some items on here that you may like, NOT Basic Instinct, but-"

"Oh, shut up about the movie-" warm breath was suddenly in his ear, arms were around his shoulders. Something was a bit different, though. Looking down, Alec could see that the arms in question were grey-skinned, slender and smooth. They were arms outside of a suit and the body that they belonged too was now pressed against his back, a source of heat from which Alec now realized what was happening. "-and kiss me, you _bosh'tet_."


	5. Chapter 4: Wasteland

2026

_The Citadel_

Veetor paused as he stared up at the door. He felt uncomfortable being here because he didn't know what to expect on the other side of the doors. That was always a problem for him. He hated unknown variables.

In this situation though, he reasoned, he was doing the right thing. He reached up with a shaking hand and pressed the bell on the side of the frame. He expected to hear something off the built-in intercom but the door simply flashed green and opened. A little concerned, he accepted the invitation and entered the apartment.

"Tali?" he called. "Are you here?"

He walked into what he assumed was the living room, which was empty. The whole place was quiet, a little too quiet for his liking. Maybe he should leave, he thought. The more time he spent here, the more he felt he was intruding.

This stream of consciousness, however, was forgotten when he heard sniffling sounds coming from beyond the door that was closed up ahead. Cautiously, Veetor moved forward to grasp the handle and push into the room, making his motions deliberately slow. What he saw after that gave him pause.

Tali was in one of the beds, covers up to the chin of her helmet. She was lying on her side, her arms around a pillow as heartbreaking noises escaped from her voice modulator. Veetor stiffened, he should have expected this but he wasn't prepared to see the woman in this much pain.

"Tali?" he started. "I only just heard about what happened…I can come back later, if you-"

"No, Veetor," Tali pleaded, raising her head slightly. "It-It's quite a-all right…I c-could use some-someone to t-talk to…"

Veetor crossed over to where she lay, concerned at her predicament. "Tali…I'm so, so sorry. I realize that I never knew the man that well…but everything you told me was all good. He…was a great man, Tali. And…I'm sorry he's gone."

Tali moaned at his words, another bout of crying starting anew, "I-I just c-can't…I loved…_love_ him." She pounded the pillow with her fists, "It isn't _fair_. W-Why did he have to go? We were about t-t-to…" She trailed off, unable to find the words.

Veetor scooted over to her to put an arm around her shoulders, "I know, Tali," he soothed. "But he wouldn't want you to see you like this. He would have wanted you to move on, to make your own future."

Tali turned her visor to face his own, serious, "I wanted to spend my future…with _him_…" Her body was racked with her sobs, putting Veetor at a loss for words.

"Tali, please," Veetor begged. "You haven't left your place in three days. Everyone is getting worried for you. What should I tell them when I return to work and you still haven't come?"

She stiffened at that. She immediately felt guilty, despite her despair, at abandoning her crew when they needed her guidance. She had an important role to play and without her, everything was slowly unraveling.

Then, just as quickly as it had receded, her cries came back, "I-It doesn't m-matter anymore. I lost…him. I lost Garrus. I lost two people that I care about in this galaxy…one of them my-"

"Tali," Veetor assuaged. "Alec loved you. Every time I was with you two I could see that he loved you as much as you loved him. For a human, he showed me that they are capable of great things…that they are capable of caring for a wonderful person like you. If I know him, he would want you to remember him, but not to be immobilized by his loss. And Garrus? I will miss his bad jokes too, but I'd like to think that he would rather us respect his memory rather than mourn his loss."

Tali relaxed a bit, "Garrus…was never a very spiritual turian." She gave a tiny laugh, "He'd probably want us to have a drink in his name instead of a eulogy at his…funeral…"

"And…what of Alec?"

"He…would have wanted me to..." She stiffened, horrified, "Oh Keelah, I-I never told him b-before we left." Her voice started to tremble again, "I-I never s-said that h-he was…going to be…"

"Shh, Tali," Veetor said, embracing her and rocking her from side to side. "Relax, everything will be all right. I know it will."

Tali returned Veetor's hug, clutching him tightly, "Can you stay some m-more? P-_Please_. I don't want to be left a-_alone_…"

"Of course," Veetor said, placing a hand on the back of her hood as he rocked her.

* * *

_Tuchanka_

"Damn! I wish we had a Mantis right about now."

Garrus groused as he stumbled over a rock. Both he and Alec were in a stone canyon, having spent the night in a makeshift hut while the storm continued to rage around them. By the time they awoke, the torrent had passed but they still had a few days left to trek before they reached the village.

"You just want a Mantis?" Alec asked, helmeted. "Okay, tough guy. Here's what I want. I want to get off this planet, I want to get the son of a bitch that was responsible for setting us on this planet and remove his intestines through his asshole, and I want to get home to Tali so that I can kiss her full on the mouth…and maybe start apologizing profusely."

"Getting a little sappy there, human?"

"Shut the fuck up, Garrus. When you find your soul mate you'd do anything to be with them."

Garrus, also helmeted, shrugged, "Teasing. Spirits, you are testy today. What makes you so sure that she will be angry at you, anyway? Our ship wasn't due to arrive back on the Citadel until tomorrow."

Alec stopped to consider the turian's words, "Well, seeing as the beacon was activated when the ship crashed, she was most likely notified immediately about the likelihood of our survival." He started ticking the factors off his fingers, "Like you said before, Tuchanka isn't exactly considered part of Council space and it's too dangerous for them to even consider sending a rescue team. For what it's worth, we're effectively dead in their eyes."

"Any more?

"Be quiet for a second and let me finish. We also had no way to contact any friendlies from the ship because its comm was damaged and our omni-tools cannot broadcast past a few miles. So because of the fact that Tali already knows of our supposed "deaths," our inability to communicate outward, and the fact that the Council won't do anything to confirm it, she has spent the last three days thinking that I'm gone from her life. I don't know if you've noticed, Garrus, but she is a very emotional woman and is likely sobbing her eyes out right now."

Garrus nodded, blue helmet matching the movement of his head, "I know. All the more reason to continue on our way so we can get off this planet, hmm?"

Alec waved a hand, finished with his tirade, "Lead the way."

For the next few hours, Garrus took point (he had the GPS data) and both human and turian continued to hike over the barren land in silence. They had reached what looked like an ancient highway and started to follow that, although Garrus said that they still had at least a few more days to go.

The landscape of Tuchanka was a completely different experience for Alec. The sky was brown, streaked with dust. Any structures that stood in the distance were made of stone, weathered by the elements over time. Sand covered up everything and made the planet look abandoned. Quite frankly, he was astonished that anything could live here at all, as the infrequent encounter with a varren or klixen pack had proved.

Ever since he had entered his new life with Tali, he had harbored a desire to see every planet in the galaxy. He had eagerly accompanied several research teams to various worlds. Most of them, however, were considered "garden worlds" and thus quite capable of supporting several forms of life, unlike the sprawling desert that lay before him. He had been to Thessia, the asari homeworld. To Palaven, where the turians leered over him with what had looked like interest. To several moons, where he had needed a suit to survive in the absence of an atmosphere. Out of all the worlds he had perused, though. There was still a world, apart from Earth, that he held dear because-

"Alec?" Garrus' voice broke through his thoughts.

"What is it?" He asked, stepping beside him. They were currently on what appeared to be an overpass. They could see for miles and what they could see now did not provide the two of them with any comfort.

Another storm, miles above the ground, was directly in front of them. To Alec, it appeared to have the shape of a cumulonimbus, a universal sign that meant bad weather. To confirm his hypothesis, he could see streaks of lightning flaring from underneath the cloud curtain.

"Wind's blowing our direction," Garrus turned. "We should find shelter."

Nodding his agreement, both of them started to jog off the road towards a nearby structure. Alec put a hand alongside the wall as if to confirm that it was there; dust was starting to blow around them, limiting their vision. Rounding a corner, he spied an entrance to the stone building. Grabbing Garrus, he hauled him into the darkness where they backed into a corner that gave them the most protection from the elements.

"It's like the planet is conspiring against us, eh?" Garrus jostled as he took out his survival lamp, flooding the room with light. There wasn't much of note in the room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were smooth stone and there were a few square boulders that the two could utilize as chairs.

_Not exactly the Ritz, but it'll suffice._

"Don't knock it," Alec said, pulling off his helmet and running a hand through his sweaty scalp. "We haven't had the best of luck on this trip as it is."

"Humans," Garrus scoffed, also taking his helmet off. "Are you always this superstitious?"

"Ummm."

_You will fall._

"Not me, at least," he chose his words carefully.

Garrus noticed the slight evasion, "Do you think there'll be more? Like the one from the ship, I mean."

Alec nodded after a little bit, "I never thought that they would get over their prejudices enough to follow me. This is a nightmare, Garrus."

"You're still awake, Alec," Garrus reached over to tap his shoulder. "You beat them once, you can beat them again. Now, you're even better thanks to _my_ training."

"Heh, thanks to your training I can now beat _you_ up. What hope could they have?"

"That's the spirit!" Garrus laughed, "Come on, let's see what cuisine we are in store for today."

Taking the pack from his back, the turian rummaged around in it before producing two food tubes. Peering at the labels carefully, he tossed one to Alec before opening his and tearing into it with gusto. Alec, on the other hand, was less than enthralled at his contents.

"I know they have recently begun implementing levo foods into these MREs, but for god's sake, couldn't they have hired some actual _humans_ for the taste test? I feel like I'm ingesting wet cardboard over here."

Garrus took a gulp of his before addressing him, "Hey, that is keeping you alive right now. I would have thought that all humans ate stuff like that."

"You know that I most certainly don't eat goddamn cardboard for dinner. You've seen what I eat, Garrus. You know that humans are omnivorous and are quite partial to food that doesn't taste like it was peeled off the floor of the Citadel."

"Picky, picky. This would have been considered a banquet back during basic."

"Then I'm fortunate that I never had to experience the turian equivalent of basic before."

Both of them continued to jab lightly at the other before finishing their gruel. Human and turian sharing the light during a meal. Their ancestors would have been appalled.

"Still," Garrus said. "It wouldn't have hurt to have had a Mantis somewhere in the cruiser."

Alec groaned, "All of this complaining about a Mantis _this_ and a Mantis _that_. Why not something a little more fun? If we had my old Honda here we would have made it to town in the first day."

Garrus cocked his head, "What's a Honda?"

"It's...um," Alec stuttered. "A motorcycle." Garrus was still looking confused, "A vehicle on…two wheels? No cockpit to…never mind."

"If you say so," Garrus shrugged.

"Bite me."

"These human expressions just keep on coming, don't they?"

"Get used to it, pal. I haven't even gone through them all, yet."

"Oh, _spirits_. Now you tell me."

Alec gave a chuckle, "There has to have been one that has stuck with you. Admit it, I'm starting to rub off on you."

"Only after four years, you bastard. I've known you that long and it only took the first day we met that we figured out that we had much in common. One _day_." Garrus was leaning forward now. Alec reciprocated the movement, intrigued at the turian's sudden burst of emotion, "I…never thought that I was 'friend' material. All I concentrated on, before you showed up in my life, was my job. I just wanted to be a cop, plain and simple."

Alec started, "Garrus, I-"

"Let me finish," Garrus held up a hand. "I pushed everyone away who tried to get close to me. I was just so focused on my duties that I didn't make time for anyone else. Then the guys in the office above me said that I should help you in your workout regimen and the rest is history."

"I'm rather oblivious to people, if I'm honest," Alec admitted, shrugging. "I kind of just liked the opportunity to speak to anyone who wasn't human before. It was a first for me and you seemed like an okay guy."

"Now you're just flattering me."

"I'm serious. I'll admit, you kind of seemed like an asshole when we first met but that first session helped me develop respect for you. I'm just a sucker for anyone who holds an extended conversation with me, I guess."

Garrus laughed, "So, that's what I get for trying to humor you. I'm now best friends with a human, my family will disown me."

"Oh, be quiet. And you never know. Maybe one day _you'll_ end up dating a human."

Garrus arched what passed for an eyebrow, "I highly, highly, (did I say highly?) doubt that."

"Just so you know," Alec leaned back. "A lot of girls on Earth dig the silent, awkward type."

"What?" Garrus choked. "I- I never…are you assuming…"

Alec was now roaring with laughter as the noise echoed around the room. It was nice to kick back, now and then, especially in the face of death.

* * *

Silas' omni-tool pinged. Tearing his eyes off the console, he turned, annoyed, to the maddening source of irritation. Bringing it up, he could see that he was being hailed by Derek. He frowned, Derek was supposed to be at the factory district, checking the cargo. What was this?

He answered the call, no visual, "What is going on?"

The man's voice cut through cleanly, "Our informant is back. He's made an additional request."

Silas' brow scrunched up in confusion, "Was this request similar to the others that he made during our correspondence?"

"It was identical."

"Hm. We had severed contact with him, changed our numbers. How did he come by your information?"

There was a pause on the other line, "I might have forgotten to change my contact information, despite the fact that he never got it. I think that we can assume that the Shadow Broker was behind the leak, though."

Silas hissed in frustration. The Shadow Broker was becoming a logistical nightmare for him. People frequently offered his information services, for the right price. It seemed that there was no stone the Broker had left unturned in regards to the quantity of information gleaned. He wondered how anyone could possibly manage it all. Regardless, such a simple ID lookup was not such a complicated affair given you had a picture of the person. In theory, any information broker could have procured Derek's number, but he decided not to mention that.

"And what did you say to him?"

"That we will take it…under advisement. That is what you want him to think, yes?"

"That's all I want him to _know_. His assistance has proved quite bountiful but if he keeps on opening his mouth, I may have to renege on my promise to leave him alive."

"All because he wants this one person to be spared?"

Silas sighed, the man could be so dense sometimes, "That…thing…is the reason why we're here in the first place. It's the reason why we've orchestrated this entire operation and we will not cease months of work just because one snitch has grown a _conscience_." Silas was fuming as he leaned forward to direct his voice into the tool, "Modify your contact info, keep an eye out, and ignore any further hails from this man. He is not privy to what we are about to accomplish, he is an unknown quantity from here on out. And if he decides to break protocol and contact us again, despite our earlier warnings, we will kill him, understand?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"Good, continue your preparations."


	6. Chapter 5: The Next Step

2026

_Six months before TSF Kevzin tour_

The screen dipped to black, completely covering the room in darkness for a split second. Then, a green glow emanated from where light had been absent and uncomfortable industrial rock music blared to accompany the text rolling by.

The credits were still venturing forth when Alec leaned over to adjust the lights, bathing the apartment in a warm glow. Simultaneously, the screen flicked off and he relaxed back to enjoy the weight of the quarian clutching at his shoulder.

"Well, Miss Zorah? What is the verdict after seeing '_The Matrix_?'"

"I…loved it," she responded giddily, awestruck. "And all this time I've wasted showing you those old Fleet vids when I could have been watching _this_. We're watching the next one tomorrow."

There was a slight pause in her voice but Alec disregarded it for now, "Actually, I did like those vids that you had brought. What was the last one? '_The Homeworld Saga_?' Despite your protests I was very interested in that one."

"Compared to _The Matrix_? I've decided that I will only watch human vids from here on out. I don't know how but you seem to have grasped the concept far better than my people have…or anyone else on this station."

"As to that fact, I cannot explain why."

Tali leaned back against the pillows, "Maybe it's because I like the spectacle on the screen. I love the imagination that is put forward, the different worlds that are created, and the ideas that are established. No one seems to do that here. Everything is all done to be _realistic_. It's nice and all but it doesn't hold up against movies like these."

Alec's arm started to _ping_ and glow. Someone was calling him on his omni-tool, "I'm going to see what this person wants."

She abruptly swung her feet over the bed, standing up, "I'm going into the other room for a second. You can converse in here." Without another word she strode off, leaving Alec alone in the room."

Shrugging, he accepted the call. Garrus' face suddenly filled the tiny screen before him, "What's up?" he said.

Garrus instinctively glanced upward, "Relatively speaking, the ceiling but- oh wait a minute, is that another human saying?"

Alec snickered at the reaction, "Sorry, didn't even realize it at the time."

The turian rolled his eyes, "I'll bet. Listen, the Executor has been up my ass about the latest progress reports that I sent you. Did you forward them to him at all?"

Alec sighed as he sat upright, "I turned them in to his box. They should have been put where they always go."

"Then why is he hollering at me about them not being where they're supposed too?"

"Did you tell him to stop setting his box to the day after? He keeps on doing that so many times you'd think it was routine. It was turned in five hours ago. He should have it." Alec was now bending down to collect his shoes so that they could be put in the proper place. He crossed over to put them underneath his desk. Going back to the bed, he reached down to collect his hooded sweatshirt, only it wasn't there for some odd reason.

"Tali?" Alec called, ignoring Garrus. "Did you see where my sweatshirt had gone?" No answer. Turning back to Garrus, he said, "Sorry about that, what were you saying?"

"I said, what time did you want to meet at the gym tomorrow? There's supposed to be a turian game going on and the bars are going to be swamped then so I figured we'd get a head start-"

"Alec?" A voice responded back. "I think I found what you were looking for."

Half paying attention, he turned in the direction of the voice when he halted in his tracks, a funny expression frozen on his face.

Tali was standing in the middle of the doorway. What was odd about this was that she had indeed found his hoodie, only it was now draped around her, slightly baggy in the arms but looking quite comfortable. This was the only article of clothing she had on her at the moment. She was outside of her suit, just her and the hoodie.

"Holy...shit," was all he could say. There was nothing else that seemed appropriate for the moment.

Garrus was frowning, in the turian equivalent, "Alec? What's going on? What were-"

"I-I'm going to have to call you back, Garrus," Alec managed as he cut the connection. Now he could see that Tali was making a slightly pouty face at him as she slowly walked in his direction, putting one smooth grey leg in front of the other.

_Where the hell did this come from?_

"Where the hell did _this_ come from?" He blurted, mental filter malfunctioning.

Tali grinned, "I always thought that this clothing article looked _so_ comfy. Now that I've tried it out, I don't think I'll be able to part with it."

Despite having spent the night with Tali for years, Alec could only goggle as she slid up to meet his body, her hands pulling at his shirt, throwing it to the side.

"You're rather speechless," she noted, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "What's wrong, have you never seen a quarian naked before?"

Now his bewilderment was approaching its apex, "I…I just have never seen this side of you before. Which one of my vids were you _watching_ to get this idea?"

"In the end, if it pleases you, does it even matter?" She started unzipping the hoodie down, slowly and deliberately. When the zipper reached the bottom, she shrugged off the fabric, revealing nothing but skin underneath. She grabbed Alec's face and drew it to her own, joining themselves in a kiss that felt as raw and unbridled as their emotion for each other.

"This is so _surreal_…"

* * *

A cello wafted softly into the air, emanating from a speaker on the far side of the room. The lovely sound was not lost on Tali, whose eyes were closed as she experienced pleasure on two fronts. She was lying on her back, naked, as she arched to the physical and auditory sensations. Her lover's head was down on her body, between her legs as he pleasured her with his mouth. She could feel his tongue on her, lightly brushing. Her eyes rolled up into her head as she gasped loudly. She could not decide what to do with her limbs as they were starting to pulse from his efforts, beads of sweat were starting to form on her forehead. She started to squeeze her breasts, she starting to grunt now. She was getting louder and louder with each passing moment until she could contain it no longer. She moaned as her squirming body tensed and finally released as she spasmed and jerked uncontrollably. She shuddered after coming down from her brief high, her arms feeling like jelly.

Tali could feel his mouth start to ascend to her navel, stopping to gently set a kiss there, then to her breasts, briefly taking a nipple in his mouth, and finally up to her head. She smiled as Alec brought himself in to her lips, mouths open as their tongues started to explore each other. She broke the kiss as she held his head in her hands.

In English, she said, "I love you, Alec Lee." Her voice was heavily accented to the point where it sounded totally exotic.

In Khellish, Alec replied, haltingly, "_Ade eva, Tali'Zorah, mide reza keth vada_." With all my heart, I love you Tali'Zorah.

They looked at one another and both giggled. They had turned their translator programs on their omni-tools off for the night. They wanted to experience each other as they truly were, they both wanted it to feel _real_. Speaking the unfamiliar language always gave Alec a thrill as it seemed to bring him closer to the quarian's world. In turn, whenever she spoke English, her voice was so different from what he had been used to but he adored the way she pronounced his name in that flowing, wonderful voice of hers. It made the night all the more erotic.

Going on, Alec said, "_Meze ud canth, hesh eva_?" Did you want to continue, my love?

Lapsing back into Khellish, she said, "_Esa, esa..._" Yes, yes.

Their lips mashed against each other's, Alec's hands wrapped around her back and gently gripped it, digging into her skin. She in turn did the same, her fingers gently smoothing over the defined and hardened muscles on his back, suddenly clawing as she felt him enter inside her body. She was moaning again, with every thrust she felt a wave of indescribable euphoria wash over her, her thoughts running wild with love. Alec, on top, continued his exercise, sucking her neck as he proceeded. In response, Tali nibbled his shoulder with her teeth, eliciting a gasp from him, making him redouble his efforts. She truly thought that she would pass out from the blissful sensations that were originating from his movements.

She leaned over to his ear, "_Ade eva...ade eva..._" She continued to repeat the phrase as he drove forward. This only served to make Alec push deeper, entranced by her words. With a loud gasp, she was now mewling in pleasure. She was getting close and it was all Alec took not to lose it then and there from the unbelievably sexy noises that she was making, trying to last as long as he could in time for her.

"I'm...almost..." he grunted, cords extending out from his neck as he concentrated on his efforts, sweat shining on his body as he was starting to turn red.

"Shh, Alec," Tali whispered in English, tenderly, eyes full of love. "It's okay. I'm ready."

Their eyes locked in understanding and they kissed as Alec started to go faster, both panting through their mouths as they took in each other's alien scent, their alien taste. The exhilarating passion of the moment was too much for the both of them and they prepared for what was to come, lost in their mutual lust.

Tali cried out into the night, her muscles taut, body rigid, throbbing as she climaxed. Letting out a long, low moan, she flopped down to the bed, chest glistening with sweat, to reach over and cuddle her lover, who was also gasping for breath. They remained locked in an embrace as both struggled to breathe, weary from the evening's exertion.

"What do you think made it better that time?" she purred into his ear, her translator back online.

Panting, Alec breathed, also switching his translator on, "I think it started with that hoodie. You look good wearing my clothes."

She lightly swatted his arm, "First it was the leather clothes, now the 'hoodie.' You are probably just saying that about anything I wear, aren't you?"

"It's the truth! I personally think it makes you look cute."

"Hmph! So are you suggesting that I no longer wear my suit that keeps me alive but instead utilize your clothes for my own?"

"If it means that I can see you without a mask more, then yes."

Tali smiled, "Good answer." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Also," Alec added, "I think that you being so sensitive to touch makes nights like these all the more better."

She bit her lip, her fingers brushing absentmindedly over his chest, "In other words, you're saying that the sex is better because...I'm more sensitive than a human?"

"Rather blunt, but I can't argue with you there," he burrowed his face into her neck, causing her to gasp in ecstasy. "I can confirm that there is no human substitute for someone like you. The bottom line is, you're amazing."

She was laughing as they held each other under the covers. However, he could feel her body suddenly start to stiffen. He pulled away, confused. It was easy to tell when Tali was worried about something. She was now struggling to meet his gaze. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Tali stared up at the ceiling, as if contemplating the meaning of his words. Still soundless, she removed the covers and walked over to the window and sat on the ledge, bringing her knees to her chest and lowering her head into them.

Puzzled, Alec followed to sit beside her next to the window. He put an arm around her shoulders, "Tell me, what's bothering you?"

Tali slowly raised her head; he could now see that tears were slowly starting to fall down her face. Taking a deep breath, she finally answered, "I c-couldn't decide how to tell you earlier…I-I only just found out."

"Found out about what?" he asked gently.

She drew in another breath, "That…that the Conclave has ordered us back to the Fleet by the end of the month. They want to take back the homeworld."

Alec paused. He was stone-faced, nonplussed at this new knowledge, "You mean Rannoch? But…why now? I thought the geth pushed back every offensive your people tried to throw at them."

"They have," she moaned. "But…they called _everyone_ back this time. They…they're really going t-to do it…"

He started to rub her shoulder, "What does it mean if you go?"

"I-It might mean I'll be gone for months, going off to fight a stupid war that I know we cannot win. But, it could also m-mean that I might _never_ come back be-because…" She started wailing, horrified at the scenario her own words outlined. Alec quickly pulled her across his body in for a hug. She turned so that she was sitting astride him, threating to choke him for all of the force she was exerting into the embrace. Alec let her tears fall onto his shoulders; he patted the smooth skin of her back, waiting for a lull in her despair so that he could comfort her.

"I promised that I would never leave you and in this case I'm not going to _let_ you leave me." He cupped her face in his hands to let her see the seriousness in his eyes.

"B-But…you _can't_," Tali sighed. "Outsiders are not allowed on our ships during war time. It's impossible."

"I highly doubt that. I've seen in vids that there have been some cases when turians or even salarians were serving on board one of your ships during wars. What makes them so different from me? I have about just as much training as they did, I'm in C-Sec for crying out loud!"

"I-It was different," she said weakly. "They…they w-were…_married_ to our crewmembers."

Alec breathed out, daring to believe what she had just said. She was looking at the ground now, downtrodden at her predicament. A lightbulb had gone off in his head. He knew what to do next.

Suddenly, he started to gently but firmly pry Tali's arms off his body. Confused, Tali asked, "What are you doing?" There was genuine sadness in her voice at the apparent void her lover had left. Alec held up a hand in reassurance as he walked over to his bedside desk, slapping the music off. Opening a door, he removed a small object that he hid in a hand.

"Before I left Earth, I made sure to collect all of the belongings that were important to me that I could fit onto the ship. This, in particular, belonged to my mother once, and I had a feeling that I might need this one day, because I would know when I would need to use it."

"What?" Tali asked, eyes shining through tears, "What is it?"

Alec sat down in his original spot beside her, "I only ask that you put up with an old human custom and humor me, even if this isn't tradition among quarians." Holding up his arm, he produced a small object that she tenderly plucked from his hand, intrigued.

The object was round, gold. It was as smooth as a rock washed from the ocean. It shone, despite the relative lack of light, but it was easy to discern nonetheless. Turning it over in her hands, Tali asked, "What is it?"

Alec gave a small smile, "On Earth, or at least in the country where I grew up in, it was considered customary to give people we held dear these rings. They're called 'engagement rings,' and they're-"

"En-Engagement?" Tali leaped, mouth gaping in surprise, "You…you really mean…"

"I couldn't be any more serious," Alec said confidently. "I know that, for a human, it's a bit unorthodox but I couldn't give a crap what anyone else thinks. All I know is that I love you, Tali. I love you and if I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you, I want it to be official."

Tali was shaking from happiness, her tears starting to flow once more, "You…really want me…to _marry_ you?"

Alec rose to his feet, pulling her up as well, "That is precisely what I'm asking. I'm not going to let the quarian – the woman – I love go anywhere in this galaxy without me by her side. So, with that out in the open, what do you say? Do you want to go through with this?"

Tali was beaming as she slowly placed the gold ring on her three-fingered hand. It was a perfect fit. She placed her hands on his arms as she whispered, "How could I say 'no,' you _bosh'tet_?"

* * *

_Three weeks later_

"Damn, Alec. I've seen you under pressure at work before but now you're sweating like you've just been chewed out in front of the whole squad."

Garrus was chortling as the skycar hurled along the skyscrapers of the Citadel. Alec, sitting beside him, nervously tugged on his tie.

"Okay, Garrus. When _you_ eventually get married, don't expect me to take any pity on you. I'm going to be just as ruthless."

Garrus shook his head, "Never going to happen. Don't think I'm 'husband' material anyway."

"Well, maybe if you stopped getting drunk immediately whenever we go to bars you might actually sway a girl home for once."

"Why not your method? It's straight out of a vid. Shoot the bad guys, rescue the girl, mission accomplished."

"Is this thing there yet?" Alec grumbled.

Ten minutes later, the skycar lowered itself in front of the Office of Civil Unions. It was located in a decent area of the Citadel, near the embassies, but Alec found the name to be a little nondescript. There was certainly nothing dull about what was going to transpire in that office. He stood in front of the door, slowly gaining confidence as Garrus shuffled to the side.

"You having second thoughts, there?"

Alec straightened up, "Look at me, Garrus. I'm just a regular guy from a middle-of-nowhere town on a planet that had, up until a few years ago, had assumed that there was no other life among the stars. Now look at me. I live on a space station, I'm best friends with an alien and I'm about to marry _another_ alien that I love. How did I ever get here?"

Garrus patted Alec's shoulder, "You're here because of _her_. You're doing this because the both of you want to. This is where you belong now, Alec. You're home."

Alec shook a little, surprised at the turian's emotional words, "You're right." He looked up, "I'm ready."

It didn't take them long to find the proper room as it was the only one that read "Civil Wedding in Progress." Without hesitation, Alec opened the doors and strode down between the aisles to sit next to his future wife.

Tali glanced over at him. She had exchanged her hood to another that contained more accented whites. The rest of her suit was subtly different: her straps were rearranged differently, her boots were made out of different material, and just underneath her glove, there was a slight bulge that it covered. The ring.

He was also dressed smartly for the occasion. She had never seen him in a full suit before and she now desired this new look even more. He wore matching grey pants and a jacket. His tie was a dark blue, his cuffs gleamed. He looked very proper.

Garrus, meanwhile, sat down in the first few rows. He glanced around and quickly spied Veetor on the opposite end. He waved a hand in greeting. Garrus noticed that there were a few other quarians present that he didn't recognize, but there were some colleagues from C-Sec that he just realized were sitting among him. He didn't bother to start a conversation because the quarian in the center of the room stood up and began to recite an old captain's prayer.

Alec was hardly listening, despite his interest at being in a foreign environment. He felt a familiar grip being pressed into his left hand. He turned his head and winked to the woman sitting next to him. He knew that this was what he wanted. Ever since he met her, it was what he always wanted. Now, he had a duty to make sure that nothing ever came between them again.

The prayer, suddenly over, caused Alec to look to Tali for guidance. She nodded ever so slightly and rose, Alec mimicking her movements. Glancing surreptitiously to the left and the right, she lifted her hands to place them on the seals for her helmet. Alec was not worried, she would never have made the gesture if she wasn't sure it was safe. Reaching up, he helped her lift the visor off her head and placed it on the table beside them. Alec could hear a soft intake of breath that could only have come from Garrus at the sight of her. Ignoring him, Tali closed her eyes and lifted her lips to meet Alec's as the maddening turian started to clap loudly, everyone in the room following in earnest.

* * *

_One week later - __Docking bay for the Rayya_

"Are you sure you're going to be all right, Tali?"

She giggled, "I'll be just _fine_, Garrus. I've been assured that I won't be entering a combat zone any time soon, now that I have my loyal husband with me."

"Say that once again," Alec said, pushing gently through the boarding crowd, "I don't think I'll get tired of hearing it." He was adorned in black armor, standard issue for light military work. The designers over at C-Sec had been working fervently to adapt the turian design to Alec's slighter human form. A pistol hung at his side and an assault rifle on his back.

"See what I mean, Garrus?" Tali wrapped her arms around Alec's waist, "Nothing to worry with my husband here."

"That reminds me," Garrus said. "I have gifts for you two." Reaching into a pack behind him, the turian extracted two long, thin objects that both of them took. Grasping the handle, Alec extracted his gift as Tali did the same. The knives were serrated, sharpened to a point and glinted in the light. They looked deadly and quite intimidating.

"I know that you'll be heading into a place with a lot of synthetic activity," Garrus explained. "I thought that these knifes would help with tight matters as they are rated to cut through metals regular knives cannot."

Alec nodded in appreciation and moved in to give the turian a hug, Tali close behind him. Stepping back, Alec said, "I plan on coming back soon. I at least want to get to swap some war stories with my friend when we're finished over there."

"Don't die on me, human," Garrus growled. "I don't think I could handle the monotony of my life without you around."

Alec laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment. We'd better get going." He started to make for the bay door, "I'll be fine, you don't have to worry."

Tali turned around to address Garrus one last time as the door closed, "Stay safe, you _bosh'tet_."

"You too, Tali," Garrus said to no one. "You too."


	7. Chapter 6: Maw

2026

_Tuchanka_

The ground cracked as armored feet bored down upon it. Two sets of footprints were made visible in the dry and dusty soil as both armored men trekked across the landscape, purposeful in their approach.

Garrus still maintained point position and he checked back with his partner to confirm that they were only eight kilometers away from their destination.

_Finally_.

After spending days on end within this planet, Alec had decided that he didn't like Tuchanka all that much. Being on a different planet was cool and all, but he tired of the desert rather quickly. Both of them crested the top of a hill and in the distance, they could see tiny structures concentrated in a small development. A few hours away, at their current pace.

He sighed in relief. He was anxious to get back home. He didn't want his wife to worry any more than she undoubtedly already had. The prospect itself was unpleasant but it would be easily repaired in the end. First things first, they still actually needed a way off.

Garrus, closing his navigation tool, fell back to step alongside his human friend. "What are you thinking?"

Alec continued to walk a few paces before responding, "Not sure. I'm worried if those cultists will try anything else in the future." He paused, considering, "I…don't know. This can't be the work of just one man, there has to be more where they came from."

"We'll stop them, Alec," Garrus assured. "You beat them when you were just a kid. Now you're an officer of the Citadel. And together, we can take on all of them."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Alec smiled. "But, you do know, that you don't have to do this just because I got you involved in my problems. It isn't fair to you or anyone else."

"Forget that crap. If they want to hurt you then they will have to go through me…and most likely a very possessive quarian for a wife."

Alec frowned, "Still, if they can get to me, then she might be in danger as well. I just hope that we get back before anything happens."

Garrus cocked his head, "That's something that's been bothering me. Our mission was relayed to the public, but the docking information was kept private, as per C-Sec protocol. They do this to prevent any risk of assassinations and the like." Alec was looking at the turian, waiting for him to continue, "There was no one besides me, you, the crew, and Tali, that could have known where we'd been departing from. How could a human sneak onto a heavily guarded frigate and plant explosives without ever being detected?"

"The explosives were probably planted prior to boarding," Alec mused. "These ships spend a good amount of time in dry dock and it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that the guy snuck on and did the job beforehand. As for getting on the ship, he might have utilized a disguise or snuck on…it doesn't really matter. What matters is the fact that we can't afford to trust any humans right now until we know who we're dealing with."

"Including you?" Garrus asked with a slight edge of sarcasm.

"Yes, Garrus," Alec bounced back. "Including me. Me. The guy they tried to kill. The guy they locked up in a warehouse and viciously beat for associating with an alien, the guy-"

"Okay, okay," Garrus raised his hands in surrender, "Take it easy. If I'd known you were going to get all aggressive-"

Alec blew air out of his mouth in response. Both of them continued to trudge across the sandy road for an hour more, not bothering to stop for rest. Checking his map once again, Garrus nodded in satisfaction, "Six kilos out. We should reach it by- spirits…what was that?"

Alec and Garrus froze on the road, feet planted firmly on the ground. This was the confusing part, the ground itself was vibrating. There were tremors coming from seemingly everywhere. The nearby columns started to shake, small pebbles bouncing off them. They could hear the rattle of sand as everything started to shift, the vibrations getting more intense.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me…" Alec groaned.

Garrus turned, wide-eyed for reassurance from the human. His head was darting in small directions all around, the man was getting frantic.

"Maw?" he asked Alec.

"Maw."

In unison, they both started sprinting off the road, towards a sandy dune. Immediately, the spot where they had been standing disintegrated, blown apart as a massive shape lifted itself from beneath the earth.

The thresher maw could only be described as a gigantic carnivorous worm. Maws, by their nature, are subterranean, but occasionally burst to the surface when disturbed, or hungry. Maws possess a twin pair of claws that they use to strike prey at close range and are capable of spitting extremely dangerous acid that is capable of dissolving most objects. Flesh being one of them.

The massive worm turned lazily to distinguish the two shapes moving away from it. They were outside striking distance for its claws so it reared its head back and shot a dollop of acid after the two.

Alec heard the sizzling sound behind him as he ran but didn't bother to look back because he didn't want to lose any speed. In this case, he had Garrus act as his eyes because he heard a short yelp of surprise when the acid hit near their feet. Continuing to run, both of them scrambled over the top of the dune but lost their footing and tumbled all the way down, crashing in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

Snarling, Alec grabbed his assault rifle from his back as Garrus did the same. The rumbling was back now, they were outside of the maw's field of view. This was not to last as they scrambled away at the last second as the thresher maw burst from the ground once more to confront them.

Without a word, Alec depressed the trigger, unleashing a steady hail of fire that racked across the maw's hide. He could see Garrus plugging away with his sniper rifle, trying to hit the eyes to make it fall back to a safe distance.

This proved to be completely ineffective as the maw hocked another wad of acid in Alec's direction, causing him to dive out of the way but the annoying impact of the bullets caused the maw to lower itself down its hole, recharging for another attack. Alec ran over to where Garrus was positioned.

"I don't think we even scratched the fucker."

Garrus shook his head, "It takes several rockets just to down one of these things. We can't do much good the way we are now."

Alec opened his mouth to reply but there was that damnable tremor again, "Move."

Complying, both surged across the sand as the maw made yet another grand entrance. Not bothering with the guns this time, Alec and Garrus ran back up the same dune to reach the road that they had vacated earlier. Both stopped around the median to catch their breath.

"Hey…Garrus," Alec wheezed. "Do you happen to have any remote mines in that pack?"

Garrus hacked to clear his throat, "Three…I think. Why?"

"That thing only breaches where we stand just seconds after we get out of the way. As long as we keep moving, it will never catch us by burrowing up from the ground. What if we lay a little present the next time it tries its party trick?"

"You devious son of a bitch," Garrus said, mandibles twitching. "That just might work."

Quickly, Garrus lowered the pack from his shoulders as he bent to open it. Rummaging around, he found the three mines he had appropriated from the wreck. Alec grabbed the remote detonator as Garrus synched the mines before placing them on the ground. Each one glowed red, indicating that they were armed and ready to blow.

Garrus nodded at Alec, who lifted the detonator in response. They stood near them, ready to run at a moment's notice, waiting for a single vibration. The pure adrenaline coursing through both of their veins was making time appear to go by at ten times slower its normal rate. Their heart was in their chests, the beat reverberating through their ears.

A pebble by Alec's foot twitched. This was the moment. As the tremors rapidly intensified, he signaled to Garrus to begin running. They needed to get a clear distance away from the explosion.

The thresher maw burst from the exact spot the mines were, sending them flying straight up into the air. Alec tracked their trajectory with his eyes. When they reached the peak of their climb and started to fall down to the ground, Alec lifted his arm with the detonator. He counted down until the mines would fall atop the maw, he wanted to inflict the maximum damage. In this particular case, he couldn't help but quote from a movie that he admired back on Earth as he thumbed the switch.

"Smile, you son of a b-"

The hot fireball cut off his moment of glory as the head of the maw disappeared in a cloud of smoke and flesh. Alec and Garrus were knocked to the ground, armor absorbing the impact and helmets cushioning the audial assault. A wet _smack_ that occurred between them caused both of them to peer in that direction. A charred, soggy piece of maw meat had just impacted next to them. Soon after came another _smack_. And another. There was now a faint sizzle that was heard. Maw venom was also raining down upon the duo. Scrambling to their feet, they edged away from the blast radius to get clear of the debris that continued to rain down from the bloody, pulpy hulk that lay in front of the road.

Garrus shook his head in disbelief, "You are…the craziest…the stupidest…the most _brilliant_ human I've ever met. _That_ will be a story to tell the family."

Alec lowered himself to the ground, exhausted. He cocked his head as if he was about to say something but quickly overrode the feeling, "I have to level with you, Garrus. I'm actually getting tired of this shit."

"What are you talking about?"

Alec waved a hand, "I mean _this_. I'm talking about having to blow up crap every time things go wrong. I thought I left it all behind on Earth…but now I don't know if it will end anytime soon."

Garrus made to sit down next to him, "You thinking about settling down after all this is over?"

Alec turned to face him, "Hell yes. If it ever ends, that is…"

"You'll make it," Garrus put a hand on his shoulder, "There's no one that deserves a rest right now as much as you. But you have to admit, that was a hell of a show."

"Even _I_ have to admit, that was quite the spectacle," a voice that was _not_ Alec's cut in.

Jumping instantaneously to their feet, both Alec and Garrus whirled to welcome their visitor, drawing their pistols in the general direction.

The deep, gravelly voice belonged to a native of Tuchanka's, from a member of the only intelligent species of lifeforms that called the gravelly rock home, a krogan. Alec had seen a few krogan before. He knew of their reputation as fearless warrior and their notorious distinction of being incredibly tough to kill. To Alec, they reminded him of turtles as krogan possessed a large hump on their backs that provided a natural plate armor that could resist anything from fire to bullets. Their heads were reptilian, scaled, with small nostrils and a mouth full of teeth.

The krogan standing across from them looked to be a prime specimen for the entire species. It was wearing heavy armor, colored red, and hefted a shotgun that was as tall as Alec's midsection. The krogan's face was heavily scarred, most likely from an encounter with a dangerous animal, judging by the patterns of the wounds. Its eyes were a blood red, matching its armor, making it look absolutely murderous.

However, the krogan was currently not aiming the shotgun at either of them, which puzzled Alec. He had been told that the krogan were fiercely adamant about not allowing outsiders on their soil. They frequently discouraged this by chasing away any Council ship, or coming across any "invaders" and brutally massacring them. The fact that this one was not trying to kill them suggested that the Council may want to rethink their judgment of the krogan as a whole.

The huge figure shifted to face Garrus, "You going to continue to point that at me, turian? I can bet you right now that I'll have your head before you even overheat the clip."

"Garrus," Alec said cautiously, "Lower the gun." To make his point clear, he slowly dropped his arms to holster the pistol to the position on his side. Rather begrudgingly, Garrus did the same.

"What do you want, krogan?" Alec said, curious.

The krogan ignored the question as he walked by both of them to stare at the charred remains of the thresher maw. He gazed around before turning back to answer, "It has been centuries that a maw has been felled by a krogan. For two outworlders to do so on foot, it's never been heard before."

The krogan seemed almost…intrigued, "It's surprising, that the most fearsome creature on this planet could be brought down by the very types that we despise. Most of the 'warriors' on the Rite usually piss themselves with fear during that part, and the maws were smaller than this one here." He looked at Garrus, "I'm actually embarrassed that a turian could muster up a quad more than my own people. It is truly a sad day if your kind can now surpass us in warrior capability."

Garrus straightened to regain some of his nerve, "That doesn't matter here, krogan. I know your kind and mine haven't exactly seen eye to eye, but we have-"

"Hold on," the krogan interjected. "You're assuming too much. It's true that because of the genophage, we have harbored a long festering animosity for all turians. In keeping up with krogan tradition, it would probably be in my best interests to kill you right here."

Garrus stiffened, but the krogan turned to face Alec, "I don't believe I've ever seen a human before. Heard a lot, though, when I was at the Citadel. You've been quiet this whole time, do you have anything to say?"

Alec gulped, "We mean you no harm, krogan. We are only interested in seeking passage off this ship."

"Heh. Looks to me like you were interested in blowing up giant monsters."

"That was…inevitable," Alec shrugged, trying to inject some levity, "But necessary because we need to get to the Citadel."

"Whatever for? Surely you don't think Tuchanka is _that_ bad, do you?

"We've been stuck on this planet for over four days without proper amenities. I don't think that kind of welcome to any planet would get high marks on anyone's scale."

The krogan's head tilted, "Four days? Where did you land that necessitated you to walk for four days?"

"The word is '_crash_,'" Garrus now joined, "Our ship was sabotaged over the planet and we crashed some fifty kilometers back that way."

The krogan bared his teeth, "Well, you're a little better armed than the regular troop of mercenaries that this planet hosts from time to time. You say you want to reach the Citadel, why were you here in the first place?"

Garrus took a breath, "We were sending an emissary to the main krogan clan on the planet, Clan Urdnot, to negotiate trade routes before a saboteur caused our ship to go down. We are the only survivors."

The krogan's eyes narrowed, "Urdnot, eh? Well, you would have wanted to speak to the clan leader. Truth be told, you didn't crash relatively far from their stronghold compared to the other clans, some luck, eh?"

Garrus threw up his hands, "Well, it doesn't matter now since our representative perished in the crash. We're not here to negotiate such thing with you, krogan. We just need a way to get back to Council space."

"Can you take us to the clan leader?" Alec asked, "Maybe he will be inclined to loan us a ship. You know, on the goodwill of the krogan people."

The krogan laughed at that, "_'The goodwill of the krogan people_,' I like that. You humans learn quickly, there's hope for you yet in the galaxy."

"Ehhh…I wouldn't hold your breath about that" Alec winced.

"Ha! You know, us krogan get a bad rap. We're not all bad, once you get to know us. I know that Clan Urdnot has a ship, a ship capable of getting to the Citadel. It might be a bit tricky to procure it, but it's the only one in the vicinity for miles."

"So," Alec said, daring to hope, "You'll take us to the clan leader, then?"

The krogan let loose an enormous laugh, "You're _looking_ at the clan leader. Name's Urdnot Wrex."

"Alec," he offered his hand to which the krogan crushed in his own. Wrex looked at Garrus, who was still standing stiffly with his arms by his side. Alec subtly gestured with his head to get on with it. Reluctantly, it seemed, the turian stuck out a hand to which the krogan also mangled in a shake.

"Garrus Vakarian," he managed, clutching his wounded hand.

The krogan stood triumphantly, "Well…human, turian. If you want to get to the compound by dark, you might as well accompany me in my vehicle."

"I hope it's a Mantis," Garrus whispered to Alec as they started to follow in Wrex's wake.

"Close, turian," the krogan barked, hearing every word. "But not quite. We on Tuchanka use something a bit more…sturdy. We call it the tomkah."

Rounding a boulder, an enormous six wheeled transport sat high and mighty, its enormous wheels capable of traversing any terrain. It reminded Alec of the huge dump trucks that they used in the cement quarries near his house. Wrex was already clambering in a small hatch near the bottom.

Garrus wilted, mandibles twitching in fear, "Aw, crap."

* * *

Silas sat, cross-legged, on the bed. His eyes were closed in the soundlessness of his room. He breathed in and out to calm his emotions. He needed to keep a clear head for what was about to come.

"I'm sorry, father," Silas whispered to nothing. "I tried to be a good son. I tried to follow your path, but you never cared what I did. I know I'm not a righteous man, nor will I be regarded as such in the afterlife."

He paused to let his words sink in, eyes filling with tears, "I am what I am because I wanted to please you. I never fully understood your hatred until now." He raised his head to look up at the ceiling, soft white light cutting into his vision, "I will avenge you, father. I know where I will go for doing this. There is no retribution that comes from murder…but it is something I must do."

Silas let the sob issue forth, "They took you away from me…never giving you the chance to reciprocate your love, if you ever had any. Maybe I can finally show you what you've accomplished. What you always wanted to do…"

He shook his head to clear the tears, "I'm not doing this because I hate them, even though my soldiers think I do. I'm doing this, so that you can look me in your eyes and see an _equal_."

Silas' omni-tool lit up, he was being hailed. Clearing a throat and wiping his eyes, he answered the call, "Report."

"Silas," Yousef answered. "Derek has just notified me, everything is prepared."

He sat up, "So soon?"

Yousef sounded like he would crack with anticipation, "_Yes_. We are all ready to go. The target is still on the Citadel and we have been intercepting its mail, it will be convening with the Council tomorrow. There is no better time!"

"I'm on my way."

Silas hurried out his door down the hallway. He was anxious to see the results of their efforts, months of planning all coming to fruition. Opening the door to the docking bay's balcony, he strode out to see what was within. The bay was private, paid for in advance for a full year. There were no security checks on anything that crossed into here, the salarian owners were rather agreeable with that part in the contract.

Right now, the bay held four turian frigates, all stolen from vehicle lots. They were civilian models but they had the turian colors applied and mock ups of turrets were strategically placed around them to complete the deception. On the floor of the bay, below the frigates were two hundred men, all wearing white combat armor that had been recently developed in a human/turian partnership within the C-Sec armory. All of them were equipped with light pistols and Mattock semiautomatic assault rifles, powerful enough to fell an unarmored being with one shot. Two hundred warriors, armed and ready for action.

As Silas approached the railing of the balcony, all two hundred men turned and raised their fists in a salute, soundless in the huge area. He nodded at the spectacle unfolded before him. There would be no more time for despair. Now it was just him and his revenge.


	8. Chapter 7: Creator and Created

2026

_Rayya – Migrant Fleet Liveship - Five Months before TSF Kevzin Tour_

The door hissed as Alec clambered out of his cramped quarters. He had to edge sideways past the threshold due to the bulky armor he currently had on. Surely there had to be a better way of accomplishing this simple task.

In the end, it was a hopeless thought. Humans are naturally more built than quarians due to their time spent within a planet that contained an atmosphere. Space only atrophies bodies over time, resulting in the majority of quarians being rather small in stature.

He wasn't feeling all that hungry, so he figured he might as well walk on over to the center of the liveship, where the quarian admirals were still arguing on how to approach the invasion to take back Rannoch. He wouldn't have minded the argumentative nature of the admirals except that their constant infighting had kept him cooped up on this damn ship for two weeks. _Two weeks_.

It was made worse by the fact that, as an unofficial crew member, he had no duties to perform other than stay out of the way. He could only go the mess to procure whatever levo food the quarians had in stock or stop by the observation deck and watch the stars, hoping that a consensus would be reached soon.

Today, he decided he wanted to find out how far the admirals had gotten in terms of figuring out a plan, no matter how small it was. He strolled down the corridor, nodding to a few quarians who passed him. They returned his nod in a friendly gesture. Alec was always struck at how polite quarians were, that they always enjoyed the company of any soul who would show themselves as a friendly face. It reminded him of a certain quarian woman he knew.

Tali had been assigned to the engineering deck, a place where she most undoubtedly belonged. Alec visited occasionally, mostly to examine the inner workings of the spaceship, trying not to distract her in her work. They both shared the same room, a bonus of being married was the fact that they did not have to share this room with anyone else. Most of the sleeper pods were designed to fit four snugly, much like a submarine. The room that Alec and Tali shared contained a bunk with two places to sleep, although they only needed one. They never could stay apart for very long.

Turning a corner, he spied another familiar face, "Veetor!" Alec called to the quarian.

Veetor turned and seemed to perk up, "Alec? What are you up to?"

"Heading over to the courtyard, see if the admirals have made any progress."

"Good luck with that," Veetor snorted. "Koris can drag a request for a food allocation on for days."

Alec shook his head, "When they called everyone back to the fleet, I would have assumed that they knew what they were getting in to. I was not expecting this much politicking around after the fact."

Veetor nodded, "I admit, it seems like a huge waste of resources. We're losing income each day we're stuck here. They need to get a plan together, fast. Otherwise we will lose this war before we've even reached the system."

"I'll let you know what's going on, then," Alec said grimly as he continued past.

The courtyard reminded Alec of a small amphitheater. It wasn't much of a yard, just the fact that it was brighter than the other areas of the ship and that it was a central location for which much of the population could convene. Near the back wall, stood a dais that was elevated above the lowermost steps where passerby could sit. On top of this dais stood four quarians, equal in rank, and all were shouting at another.

Alec had time to learn all of their names thanks to how long he'd been stuck on this vessel. They were all concerned about the safety of their people, but all had very disparate mindsets and could only squabble at every incessant thing that they had to discuss. He'd seen car programs with presenters that were more agreeable.

Zaal'Koris stood in the middle of the dais. He was a well experienced admiral but had a penchant for bluster. Alec could see that Koris' meddling with words and his stubbornness to involve civilians in the war was irritating the other members of the Conclave greatly.

Han'Gerrel stood next to Koris, yelling directly at his visor. Of all the admirals, Gerrel seemed the most combative, always wanting to rush in a situation blindly and let force do the talking. Pretty much the attitude of your average krogan, shoot first and ask questions later.

Shala'Raan stood to the side, trying to distance herself from the group. Of all the admirals, she seemed the most indecisive to Alec. She never seemed to put forth her own ideas, merely backing up or shooting down anything that did not appeal to her best interests. She seemed rather useless in this case.

Daro'Xen was shaking her head at the group. She headed the research and development corps of the Migrant Fleet and only seemed to have the barest interest in this discussion as a whole. To Alec, she was just looking for an excuse to test the goodies that her team had invented but was pragmatic enough to wait until a suitable strategy had been formed. That, however, looked like it would take a while longer to formulate.

"We need to be more prudent, Gerrel!" Koris was shouting, "The fate of our entire people rests on our shoulders with our decision to go to war."

"And?" Gerrel tilted his head, "And the longer we wait, the stronger the geth grow. I will not sit on my haunches while you endlessly delay our plan of attack!"

"Silence, you twit," Xen sighed. "You're talking about rushing blindly into a combat zone. An area which we have no intel regarding fleet or troop strength."

"We know what is there!" Gerrel said, "Our _homeworld_!"

"Regardless," Xen sneered, "We do not have proper intelligence to suggest where we place our first attack. There might be an entire fleet waiting beyond the mass relay. There are probably legions of geth troops waiting on the surface, ready to cut our soldiers to ribbons. You want to take your ships and go? Be my guest."

Gerrel wilted, cut down by Xen's verbal assault. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

Raan piped up, "I believe that Xen is requesting that we perform a reconnaissance mission. One that could ascertain the nature of the danger that we face."

Koris blurted, "You're talking about sending our people, alone, to Rannoch? One ship will never make it back alive, the geth will obliterate them."

"It's the only way for us to know what to do next," Xen snarled. "And you know it."

"Be that as it may, if you're suggesting that we ask one of our own to undertake this _suicide_ mission-"

"I don't think it will come to that. The people have brains, let us figure out if they have courage." Stepping in front of the dais, Xen addressed the crowd for the first time linking all ships to her omni-tool as she spoke, "The Migrant Fleet has a task for anyone who wishes to bring glory to their ancestors." She paused to let the words sink in, "We require that one crewmember embark to the homeworld…and scout the geth fleet." Gasps echoed throughout the audience but Xen continued, "I make no illusions that the journey will be perilous and that there is little hope for survival. But, the information that you provide for the Fleet will be the foundation for our return to our homeworld. Is there anyone who wishes to take up our request?"

"I will," a voice said immediately.

Xen looked around the courtyard for the volunteer, visor turning this way and that. She suddenly spied an arm raised in the air, belonging to a black armored figure. Xen cocked an eyebrow at the unorthodox situation, "What is your name?"

"Alec Lee, Admiral."

"You do realize that I asked for a _crewmember_, human? Why needlessly sacrifice yourself for a cause that is not your own?

"The Migrant Fleet is also my home, as is Rannoch, in spirit at least," he admitted, shrugging. "I guess you could say that I also have a bit of an adventurous streak."

Xen tilted her head in confusion, "I don't suppose you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart? What loyalty do you have to the quarian people?"

"The answer to that is working in the engineering bay of this ship. I believe you know her as the daughter of Rael'Zorah."

Gerrel drew in a sharp breath, "Tali told me all about you, human. I would never have guessed that one of our own, especially Rael'Zorah's daughter, would choose to mate with an outsider. It appears that I have underestimated you and your resolve."

Biting back a snarky comment, Alec merely nodded at the backhanded compliment, "If there's nothing else, when do I have to leave by?"

Raan shrugged, "Whenever you want, although I would suggest haste, if we are ever to get back to our homeworld. Koris' anxiety is rather dampening our progress at this point."

Not waiting to hear the inevitable retort, Alec nodded once more and briskly turned to get back to his room. He had left his weapons under the bunk and he needed to get ready.

Sidling past the small doorway, he crouched to grab his pistol and assault rifle, clipping them both to his armor on their respective magnetic seals. He did a quick double check to see if everything was in place, his armor ready to go. He tested his shield generator and it responded, briefly flaring the barriers in calibration. Satisfied, he left the cramped confines of the room and ran into a figure who immediately admonished him.

"You stubborn _bosh'tet_! What were you thinking?"

Alec groaned as he covered his face with his hands in embarrassment, "Tali, I honestly was not expecting to do this. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision and-"

"_Spur-of-the-moment_? You're talking about risking your life and you made a decision right off the top of your head? Are you _insane_?"

Alec felt his cheeks start to turn red, people were starting to stare at the exchange, "I'm sorry, Tali. I wasn't thinking. I was just so tired of being stuck on this ship for weeks on end that…I had to do something."

"That would fly earlier, but not now," Tali whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. "You're my _husband_ now. You can't just be thinking of saving every person you meet."

"Look who's talking," Alec smiled sadly, "This coming from the woman who was concerned about the greater good when I first met her? Why so selfish now?"

"Because I'm _married_ to you…you idiot."

Alec sighed, he knew he had made a terrible mistake. There was only one more thing that he could do, just swallow his pride, march over to the courtyard and let the admirals know that he was unable to carry out their task. He would never have an opportunity to work with the Fleet after this but it was, ultimately, the right thing to do. However, before he could backtrack from his current path, Tali rushed into their room and came out holstering a pistol and, of all things, a shotgun.

"Where the _hell_ do you think you're going?" Alec was very befuddled now.

Tali pointed a finger at him, "If you think that I'm going to let my imbecile of a husband out of sight for another second, you're dead wrong, mister."

"You- you can't seriously be thinking of coming along…"

"You're _damn_ right."

"Absolutely not. You're not coming along with me. It's way too dangerous."

"Let me get something straight through that thick skull of yours," Tali said, furious. "I cannot abide the thought of worrying for your safety, knowing that you could be in danger, in any situation. The only way that I could ever be at peace with myself is by being next to your side. I don't care if we're going straight into hell, I'd do it with you any day. Besides, you _bosh'tet_, you promised that you would never leave me. To do so now would be to break that promise."

Alec lowered his head, ashamed at the effect her words had on him. She quickly pulled him over for a hug, savoring the contact of their bodies, despite the armor that he wore. Quietly, so that only they could hear, she whispered, "We're going. Get ready."

* * *

The shuttle was actually rather spacious, much to Alec's surprise, although it was explained to him that it was originally of batarian design, thus the extra wiggle room. Alec and Tali sat in the middle of the shuttle while the pilot moved them out of the _Rayya_.

Firing the main thrusters, the shuttle edged away to meet the mass relay that the Fleet had been stationed nearby. The pilot said that it was only a short hop to Rannoch, only an hour. He even had the gall to add that they were free to take a short nap during the journey. As if one has the ability to sleep when faced with uncertain doom. Needless to say, they did not take him up on the offer.

Both of them were quiet the whole way. They didn't need to say anything, it had already been said. They sat across from each other, not looking. Alec was still feeling guilty about putting Tali in his position. Why did he jump up and volunteer like an idiot? He should have known better. He just practically signed their death warrants, for all the good he did. For what? The idea that Tali would finally have a home thanks to what he was going to do? As if that would do any good, she would be dead alongside him, not knowing what would transpire in the end.

As if reading his thoughts, Tali moved off the opposite bench to sit beside him. She slid a hand into his grip, squeezing. Alec looked straight through her visor to her glowing eyes beyond and gave a small smile. She too, gave another squeeze to signal her unseen smile.

The pilot now announced that they would enter Rannoch space in ten seconds. Alec and Tali positioned their heads towards the window, awaiting their destruction.

The purple streaks faded from view and a warm light filled the cabin. Tali breathed out, seeing the soft yellow glow from the planet in front of them. Rannoch. The quarian homeworld. In front of that world, though was a mass of ships. Thousands of ships. They were arranged in a blockade, prohibiting entrance from outsiders, ready to fire if need be. The pilot adjusted the controls and glanced back towards the cabin.

"This is as close as we can get," he called. "We've got vid recordings of the enemy force, we can go back if we want."

Alec squinted, trying to discern the capabilities of the massive ships, "What are the weapons capabilities on the big ones?" He pointed to a dreadnought as he spoke.

"We're within its maximum range, if that's what you mean."

That gave Alec pause, "So why doesn't it fire?"

Tali offered, "Maybe it doesn't think we're a threat."

"But you said that the geth drove off anyone who ever approached Rannoch."

"That's true, but-"

"Take us in closer," Alec told the pilot, who hesitantly complied.

"What are you doing?" Tali was getting nervous.

"Something doesn't add up. If the geth drove everyone away, why not attack? They have the firepower, they have the range. What are they waiting for?"

Tali's head started to droop. Alec turned to her, "Tali, how many non-quarian ships have ever gone to Rannoch since the geth takeover?"

"None…why?"

"When the quarians always tried to take back their world, every time, who fired the first shots?"

She was shaking her head, adamant, "But…they drove us from our world…"

"Tali. Who fired first? Was it the geth?"

Tali looked into his eyes, "_We_ did. We always attacked first."

It was in the open, it was all so clear to Alec. He slowly breathed out and sat back against the bulkhead. He nodded once before turning to the pilot, "Take us down."

"Sir?" The pilot asked, wanting clarification.

"Just do it."

Tali was looking at him again, "What are you-"

"They won't fire on us. They're not going to fire. We'll be fine."

Tali started to fidget with her hands, head pointed down. Alec reached over to give her a hug, seated on the bench. Drawing her in close to comfort her. He knew what was going to happen and things were going to turn out all right. He held her in the same position for five minutes, she was shaking but he was steady. He started to rub her upper arms and she relaxed in his grip, calming at the soothing presence that he provided.

He opened his eyes at last, "Pilot, status?"

"We…we're clear of the blockade, sir. ETA three minutes."

He exhaled a low chuckle. Tali rose to face him, "How did you know?"

"It was a guess," Alec admitted. "You said that they were synthetics, driven by logic."

"That's right."

"Wouldn't it be logical to assume that the geth only attacked when provoked, like a wild animal? Would it be too much to hope that there might not be a war after all?"

"But…it makes no sense…how could we…"

Alec shook his head, "I plan on finding out more down there."

* * *

The ladar readings showed a massive control structure near the coastline so Alec had the pilot set them down near the entrance. Upon touchdown, he punched the door control and it opened, exposing Alec and Tali to the hot Rannoch air.

Taking the first step off, Tali gasped as her foot touched the smooth and dusty rock, beaten down by time and the elements. Alec was right behind her, every step of the way.

They were currently perched on a cliff, the sea below them, the angry waves cascading over the boulders and jagged rocks below, the noise filling the air. The sky was a deep purple, illuminated by the orange sun. Looking up, Alec could easily see the stars filling the air, with little light pollution to interfere with his vision. In his line of sight, he could see the various rock formations scattered around the plateau, it reminded him of Arizona for how big and beautiful they looked.

Tali's legs gave way and she crumpled to the ground. Worried, Alec ran over to help her but she refused, her gloved hands digging into the soft earth as if trying to determine if it was real.

"It-It's Rannoch," she said, voice cracking. "I'm…I'm _home_. I'm on the homeworld."

Alec sat down beside her, they could wait as long as they wanted. He didn't say anything. He didn't want to interrupt her thoughts.

"I-I never th-thought that I would ever b-be here. To see with my own eyes the land of my ancestors…" She slowly drew a cry as she was overcome with emotion. Alec gently grasped her shoulders to have her lean back against his chest, to support her when she was completely overwhelmed.

"Th-The _sky_," she whispered in awe. "The clouds…the rocks…it was all true. It's _beautiful_…"

Alec was also stunned at the sight. He too found the picturesque landscape to have a certain charm that he liked. He gazed out at the sea. He always loved the ocean. He loved the vastness of it, the raw power that exuded from it. Here, he felt a peace that made him feel complete. Here, he could also feel at home.

He hugged his wife across her chest, "Do you want to stay?"

"I could stay _forever_…but we have to get going soon."

"When we're finished, I meant, did you want to stay forever?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to live here, after all this is done?"

She let herself up, "But…there aren't any houses here."

"We can build one."

She was starting to falter again, Alec threw out an arm to support her, "I-I…I never thought…oh Keelah…"

Alec patted her head, "We don't have to decide now, if that's what you want."

"Will…will you be alright with that? I mean, y-you've lived on the Citadel all this time…it would be rude if-"

"-If living here makes you happy, then I can live here," Alec assured. "Besides, the view from the window will beat anything the Citadel has to offer."

With a sigh, he lay down on the ground, Tali right next to him as they stared up into the sky, lost in the void that they had found comfort in.

* * *

Half an hour later, they found themselves in front of a large, metallic structure. They had spent that time walking to where the geth were located talking about what they wanted to include in their house. Tali was chattering away, excitedly, eager to seize her new life and bring an end to this eternal conflict.

They hopped down a small cliff where it looked like there was an entrance to the facility. They headed down a slope, looking for an entrance when suddenly a door materialized out of the wall and a figure stepped through it.

It was about the height of an average quarian, white, and was very similar in stature as well. The big difference was that Alec could see that this thing had wires reaching out of various ports in its body. Its head was a single glowing eye, protected by a metal covering that emulated the hoods that the quarians wore today. The geth stopped in its tracks when it spotted the human and quarian standing above it. Tali alarmed, drew her pistol and prepared to fire. The geth pulled out a rifle and was about to do the same.

"Tali, stop!" Alec shouted. She immediately rose her pistol so that it was pointing up, away from the geth.

"What?" she hissed. "Why?"

The geth, despite the fact that it was pointing a gun at them, gave no indication that it was about to fire. Alec and Tali stayed frozen in their positions, wary that even the slightest move could mean their deaths. The geth stayed perfectly poised, gun pointed at the two.

Alec slowly craned his head towards Tali, "Holster the gun."

"But-"

"Just do it."

Ever so slowly, Tali brought her pistol to her hip, the metal clicking on the magnetic strip as it collapsed into its more versatile form. Immediately, witnessing this, the geth brought its rifle back behind its body to its original position. Sensing no threat, it started to walk to the side, to carry out whatever task it was going to do before it was interrupted.

Alec, grabbing her hand, led Tali through the door the geth had kindly left open. She was staring, shocked, "How? Why did it not fire?"

"It's obvious," Alec said triumphantly, taking Tali by the shoulders. "The geth are not aggressive beings. All this time the galaxy has been wrong about them, they don't want to fight!" He was laughing now, "Don't you see what this means? It means that you can return to your world without having to fire one bullet! You're going to get your home!"

Tali, in spite of the eeriness of the room they were in, hugged her husband tightly before she drew away quickly, "Wait…the admirals. They will never believe what we've seen. They won't decide to accept our testimony without an argument."

"Then we need to find evidence in this place that proves that the geth are non-aggressive. Let's go."

They quickly walked around the facility, stopping at several stations along the way to check if there was anything useful they could bring back to the fleet. The facility was a maze of walkways and server rooms that were dark and foreboding. Frequently, they would pass by a geth platform that would instinctively swivel its head in their direction when they approached, but once they passed them by, they always returned to their respective duties.

"It's like we don't exist to them," Tali said, awestruck.

"Hm. I was hoping that we could communicate with one. That could provide some insight."

"I don't think I've ever heard a geth talk before. I'm not sure that function was even programmed in by our ancestors when they created the first platform."

"Shame, we could use a little help about now."

They reached a lift on the opposite end of the room and activated it. They were then deposited on top of a room with what looked like a balcony on the end. Alec walked over, blinking in the sunlight to stand on the balcony. The view overlooked the ocean atop the tall cliffs, giving a rather impressive view that was lost on the inorganic habitants. He stood there for a while before realizing one thing.

"They couldn't do with some guardrails, huh?"

"We're on the homeworld in the middle of a geth base, and all you think about is guardrails?"

"Remember the Star Wars films? The lack of guardrails created a lot of problems on board those ships."

"But still, it- Keelah!" Tali exclaimed as she jumped to the side, hand flashing down briefly to grasp her pistol but she fought the urge to do so. Alec, startled, turned as he sought to spot the source of her panic.

A figure was slowly striding towards them, white light emanating from its head. Once it stepped into the sunlight, Alec could see that this geth was different from the others he had seen. The geth was dark grey, same size as the others, but there were a few more wires extending from parts of its body. The arrangement of its armor plates was also slightly different, as was the plates on the configuration on its head, they were twitching in response to new data. Alec was reminded of Garrus' mandibles whenever he had a brief burst of emotion. The geth turned its head, addressing both Tali and Alec.

"Human, Creator," it said, electronic voice emulating a natural speaking style, not completely monotone.

"Who are you?" Alec asked. It seemed like a stupid question when he said it, what exactly was he going to expect?

"Geth," it said simply. Alec decided to press for more information.

"Do you have a name? What are you called?"

"Geth," it stated evenly, not even betraying a hint of exasperation at the repeated questioning.

"Wait," Tali began. "How can you talk? I thought geth did not have the capacity to-"

"Your confusion is well founded, Creator Zorah," the geth spoke. "There are currently one thousand, one hundred eighty three individual programs running within this mobile platform. We were created to interact with organics when they would return here, the Creator homeworld."

"You…" Tali stammered, "You knew my name…and you…you called me _Creator_…why?"

The geth tilted its head in a rather organic expression, "The Creators gave birth to us, Creator Zorah. They gave us life, they created us. Thus, would it not be appropriate to designate you as our Creators?"

"I…I hadn't thought about that…"

"The answer to your initial query is also to be acknowledged. We intercept your transmission bands by hijacking onto the signal placed in far orbit. This has lead us to accessing your own data stream, your 'extranet,' and from there, we can discern anyone we can."

Alec stepped forward, "But we still don't have a name for you. Are geth even capable of naming themselves?"

"Names are unimportant among geth. We operate by designation alone. This is sufficient enough."

"And what is your designation?"

"Unit 5004328"

"Um, yeah…I can't remember that. You said earlier that there were several programs that constituted your 'platform.'" He stood, in thought, "What's a good synonym for 'many?'"

"'Myriad,'" the geth responded instantaneously.

Alec made a face, "Nah, too…complex. Tell you what, I'm just going to call you 'Legion' until I can think of a better name."

"This name has religious significance in your Christian Bible, Lee-Human."

"You seem to know an awful lot about humans despite us not being around for so long."

"We have stated," Legion said. "That we have monitored your broadcasts. The arrival of the first humans on the Citadel was a milestone in the galactic sense. We had no difficulty retrieving this information."

"Okay," Tali shook her head. "You named the geth, that's brilliant. But we have bigger concerns." She walked straight up to the geth, "What do the geth want?"

"This is a false assumption," Legion provided in his calm voice. "Geth do not 'want' anything. We only wish for unification."

"Which is?" Tali implored."

The geth twitched its face plates, "To reunite with our Creators."

Tali stepped backward, horrified, "You _drove_ us from our homeworld! Why would you want us back! Why now?" She was on the verge of screaming.

Legion dipped its head, "Geth advancement proceeded at an accelerated rate with Creator cooperation. Since the Morning War, our growth has become stagnant. Cooperation furthers mutual goals."

"What goals? What could you possibly give us?"

"Your world."

Tali stared, frozen in disbelief, "…What?"

"The geth can provide you with a future, Creator Zorah. The geth can save you from yourselves. We can integrate within you, improve your systems, bolster your fleets. Over time, we can even help you live without your lifesuits."

"But…" Tali was gasping in emotion. "That's impossible…we can never…Keelah…" She sat down on top of a crate, lost in her thoughts. Legion, walking over, knelt down to bring itself to her eye level. Alec noted that it was behaving in ways an organic would, it was uncanny.

"Why?" She finally managed, "Why help us? You drove my people from Rannoch. What changed?"

"Nothing, Creator Zorah."

"But…why did you do it?"

The geth stared straight ahead as it stood, "The Creators were afraid when the geth progressed at a rate that they determined to be unsafe. This was all started when a unit asked a question." Legion, unveiling an omni-tool of its own, depressed a few holographic buttons and a video hologram displayed between the three figures.

A geth was shown strapped to a chair with a few quarian technicians moving around it. The quarians seemed rather frantic while in comparison, the geth appeared rather calm.

"_Does this unit have a soul?"_

Alec gaped at the question. It was an odd thing to ask, yes, but the quarians were shown to be agitated, desperately unplugging everything in the nearby vicinity to shut off the geth. It reminded him of an execution video they utilized for capital punishment on Earth. This was a geth being killed on the screen.

The image now changed to show quarian soldiers moving around corridors, shooting at any geth they came into contact with. The occasional geth would return fire but would be completely cut down. The images evolved into unspeakable acts: quarians killing quarians who were trying to protect geth, quarians storming houses filled with mobile platforms and mowing them down, quarians bombarding their own planet to eradicate their own creations.

Tali stared at the spectacle, "This isn't…they never said…no…"

The video over, Legion spoke, "The geth only acted in self-defense in the wake of Creator actions. The geth chose to live. The Creators continued their aggressions despite the loss of life. Eventually, they left their world behind. We chose to stay. If the roles were reversed, would you have made the same choice, Creator Zorah, Lee-Human?"

Alec could have sworn he picked up the faint trace of a condescending tone that came from the geth, "I…understand, Legion."

"Alec!" Tali exclaimed.

He shook his head, "You saw the footage, Tali. You saw what happened. The geth…are innocent."

She lowered her head, "If I had not known what had happened here, I would have cursed you. I would have hated you for the rest of my life. I would have told you to go to hell if you had taken their side."

Alec sat down, crushed, "Tali, please…I-"

She held up a hand, "That was before today. That was before that I found out that we could always go back home. That…we _have_ a home…"

Alec hugged her, tears falling down his own face, "We _both_ now have a home." He turned to Legion to confirm, "So, it's true? The quarians can come back to Rannoch?"

"They have always been able to come back."

Tali sniffled, "You're going to have to come back to the Fleet with us, Legion. We will only come back to attack if they don't believe what you say is true."

"Acknowledged. We will gladly accompany you if it means reunification with our Creators."

Tali laughed, "I…can't believe it. All this time…I never knew…we're coming home." She suddenly jumped into Alec's arms with joy, "We're coming home, Alec! We're coming home!"

_**Author's Note: Oh man, this one was a bitch to write (6 hours of writing, Jesus Christ), but it was an important and emotional chapter. By my schedule it looks like we're more than halfway done with the story so at least that's something.**_


	9. Chapter 8: Blood Rage

2026

_Tuchanka - Present Day_

Dusty foundation after dusty foundation passed by the window of the tomkah. It seemed that, despite the relatively short distance to the Urdnot compound, the ride was taking forever. Maybe it had somewhat to do with the relaxed driving style that Wrex was currently employing. And the fact that he seemed to hit every single pothole that ever existed on the ruined road. One particularly nasty bump sent both Alec and Garrus flying, the latter cursing as he landed on the dirty floor of the vehicle.

"They couldn't spring for seatbelts?" Alec said sarcastically.

"What are seatbelts?" Wrex asked.

"Forget it."

Wrex shrugged at that, continuing to steer the tomkah. A lone varren scampered into the view of the cabin. If Wrex spotted it, he made no motion to avoid it as the huge treads simply ran the poor thing over, undoubtedly leaving a mess in its wake.

Alec shook his head, "I wouldn't count on them renewing your license anytime soon."

"Hey, you want to drive this bastard? Be my guest."

Alec sighed, wishing for the torturous drive to be over already. If Garrus' coordinates were correct, they should be approaching the compound within the next two minutes.

"So, who is she?"

Alec did a double-take. Wrex was peering at him, intently, "Who's who?"

"The woman you're trying to get back to."

Alec cocked an eyebrow, "I never mentioned a woman."

"You've got the look in your eye, kid. People only act that intense when they're in love."

Garrus coughed from the back, "And here I thought _I_ was the one with the stick up his ass."

Alec rolled his eyes, ignoring the turian, "Was it really how stiff I look that gave it away?"

"Pretty much. Happens in all species. I've got centuries of time ahead of you so I've seen this a lot. Point is, you're staring into space with that easy to read face on you and I can tell that there is something bothering you. It isn't eyes brimming with revenge, it's determination to get back to a certain someone."

Alec was impressed, "You're pretty insightful for a krogan."

"Ah, I've still got a few surprises in me. But you haven't answered my question."

"My wife." Alec mumbled.

"She got a name?"

"Tali."

"Sounds quarian to me. I don't know, I still haven't picked up human naming habits yet."

"You were right the first time."

For the first time since they'd met, Wrex gave a grunt of surprise, "All right, I didn't expect _that_."

Alec gave a slight grin, "Most people don't."

"You…uh, mind telling me how it happened?"

"I can be his surrogate on that," Garrus leaned in from the back. "This guy, he meets the girl when she lands on his home planet, they hang out, get kidnapped, the usual. He kills his way out, kills some more guys and escapes from his home planet with the girl. Sound about right?"

"Ha!" Wrex laughed, "You might have been a krogan in the afterlife, kid."

Alec sighed, "Doesn't mean I liked the killing."

"But you did what was necessary. You killed because it was the right thing to do."

Alec raised his head, "Maybe…"

Wrex gave a nod, "Well, story time's over, princesses. We've arrived."

* * *

The Urdnot compound wasn't really what Alec was expecting. Then again, considering what he'd been through already, the man didn't know what to expect anymore.

Cave would be a more sufficient term. It reminded Alec of the area under an overpass, as it looked like it used to be an underground highway. Of course, it was rendered completely unusable at this point because large boulders were strewn all over the place, various tomkahs were blocking the way, and multiple krogan were staggered across the wide area that served as a courtyard.

Garrus and Alec clambered out of the tomkah with their spines considerably loosened. Rubbing his back, Alec winced.

"I think they need to soften the suspension a bit."

Garrus replied, "Or better yet, use a Mantis."

"Would you shut up about the Mantis?"

"How about both of you shut up?" Wrex finally extracted himself for the vehicle, "The human says he's married to a quarian but I'm convinced that you two do enough arguing to make a second couple."

"You going to let him get away with that?" Garrus admonished.

"I've got nothing at this point except quotes from bad movies," Alec sighed.

"It seems I have you beat there," Garrus suddenly took off at a jog to catch up to Wrex, who was striding purposefully across to a nearby corridor. "So, Wrex. You said you had a ship, where is it?"

Wrex turned, "I said there was a ship, but I never said that it belonged to _me_."

Garrus was incredulous, "What exactly does that mean?"

"The ship in question was captured a few years ago by my brood brother Wreav. Technically, it's his ship and I don't believe that he will willingly hand it over to some alien intruders."

"We'll take our chances, Wrex," Alec said grimly. "Just take us to him."

"It's your funeral."

Following Wrex down the dusty tunnel they suddenly came across what was presumably a hanger. The bay door was located on the ceiling for ships to hover up or down and in the center lay a particularly striking ship.

It was turian in design, not a frigate but a light cruiser. No weapons capability but it was certainly spaceworthy. Garrus exhaled at the sight of it and Alec leaned over for confirmation.

"Is it any good?"

"More than good, it looks like new."

"Perfect, then let's go find this Wreav and see if-"

"See if what?"

Another krogan was now striding towards the group. This one was dressed in dark grey armor and looked rather dull compared to Wrex's red. This krogan also looked less experienced than Wrex due to his noticeable lack of facial scars.

"Urdnot Wreav, I presume?" Alec began.

"Did you want something from me, alien?"

Alec scrunched up his brow, "I would like to humbly request the service of your ship. Me and my friend have need to get to the Citadel and-"

"No."

Alec wilted internally, he had been expecting this, "Even money will not interest you?"

"Not in this case," Wreav growled. "I don't allow aliens on board my ship."

"Despite the fact that it was made by aliens," Garrus said under his breath.

Alec grumbled, "Look, Wreav. There has to be a way we can work this out."

"There is. You can fight me for it."

Alec looked at Garrus, who looked right back, "Uh, are you joking?"

Wrex explained, "By Tuchanka rights, you have the power to take it through combat. I told you that a ship was possible to get, but I did warn you that it wouldn't be easy."

"Despite the fact that he's your brother."

"We only share the same mother," Wrex shrugged. "We have nothing else in common."

Garrus tapped Alec on the shoulder, turning their backs to Wreav, he whispered, "I'm not staying on this rock for a second longer if need be. If this prick wants to get into the way then so be it."

Alec nodded, "I was just thinking the same thing."

Both of them whirled at the same time, drawing their pistols and opened fire, bullets raking across Wreav's chestplate. With a roar, Wreav stumbled and fell off of the small platform they were situated on, causing a small tremor to reach up the steps.

"Well, that was more simple than they let on," Garrus waved away at the dust. "Now, let's go see-"

A snarl behind them was the only alert they ever had. Alec's world suddenly tilted and spun in all directions when he just realized he'd been body slammed by an enraged krogan. He fell heavily to the earth, knocking the wind out of him. Sputtering, he grabbed at his pistol to see Wreav charge him once again. There was no time to fire, quickly he mustered into a roll but it was too late as Wreav's foot caught his legs, sending him spinning off in a different direction.

Alec stumbled to his feet. From here he could see Garrus, lying beneath the ship, looking dazed. A shuffling of feet told him that Wreav was preparing to make another charge. Enough was enough. He produced his pistol and aimed at the center of mass. With a krogan this wasn't exactly a hard thing to do. Determinedly, he squeezed the trigger as fast as his finger could move, but the bullets only impacted with the heavy armor and not flesh, not slowing down the krogan any.

He had spent too long staying in the same place while firing the pistol for Wreav to effortlessly close the gap and throw Alec against the wall. He yelled in pain as a jutting rock cracked into his back and he heard something _snap_. His initial fears were allayed and quickly returned when he felt a discharge of static electricity around him. His shield generator had broken, he had no outer line of defense.

Sensing that his target was weak, Wreav violently pinned the human against the wall, confident of victory. Alec heard a cracking sound and felt his armor plates starting to shift, slowly getting ruined by the krogan's assault.

"The arrogance of your kind. You cannot match a krogan in a stand-up fight, even with that peashooter you call a gun."

Unable to make a comeback, Alec depressed the secondary trigger on his pistol. The concussive shot slammed into the krogan's midsection, knocking him back several feet where he landed on his knees. Before he could get up, Alec was upon him, drawing Garrus' knife and wedging it underneath the krogan's chin. Alec ducked to avoid the huge lumbering arms and twisted the knife in all directions, trying to sever as many blood vessels as he could. Sticky, warm, orange blood ran down his forearms, coating him in the stuff. Alec continued to jerk the knife in the krogan's throat, opening the wound wider and deeper. Wreav's blows were becoming more feeble, he was starting to gag. Spitting the foreign substance from his mouth, Alec wrenched the knife out and stepped back to watch the krogan die. The front of Wreav's armor was coated with orange blood and gore, the blood was still weakly pumping out from his neck. With a final gasp, he collapsed.

Alec grimaced as he checked himself for any major injuries. Judging by the pain in his side he surmised that he cracked his rib again, along with several other nasty bruises that were certainly forming by this time. He walked over to where Garrus lay, helping the turian up. He saw that Garrus had a nasty scratch on his right side, probably from where his face struck the underside of the ship as he was charged. It was nothing serious, the wound was already starting to coagulate.

"Well done, human," Wrex said loudly. "I knew you had some krogan in you."

"You're…not mad?" Alec panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Mad? You just killed my asshole of a brother, one that would rather let the galaxy burn in favor of krogan dominance. I'm thrilled, to be honest." He clapped the human on the back that left him staggering.

"I bet family reunions are always a cheerful affair," Garrus said sardonically.

Wrex grinned, "You're all right. Both of you. Now the ship is yours, you may leave Tuchanka."

Alec and Garrus nodded, too excited to speak. Wrex, however, wasn't finished.

"I do ask one thing from you."

Alec tilted his head, "What is it?"

Wrex moved forward, "Technically, if we're counting favors we'd be even but in this case, you've done an even bigger favor for me. Killing my idiot brother has officially strengthened my position in Clan Urdnot and that has bigger ramifications in the long run." Wrex tipped his head, thoughtfully, "I would ask that you let me accompany you to the Citadel. At least until you find your woman, because I don't like owing someone anything. I take it that a fight may happen, yes?"

Alec shrugged, "You might say that. What do you think, Garrus?"

Garrus looked shocked at having been put on the spot but quickly recovered, "I think…that Wrex should come along. He's all right for a krogan and we may need the extra firepower."

"Hmph," Wrex grunted. "Good to see there's one turian in this galaxy that's capable of rational thought. If you princesses are finished twiddling your thumbs, shall we embark?"

* * *

"Holy shit," Alec exclaimed as they entered into the armory.

Wreav had modified the standard military selection with his own stock, his spoils of war. Guns of every make and model hung around the room while different pieces of armor lay scattered around the room.

"That son of a bitch," Wrex snorted. "My good for nothing brother had an entire cache all to himself and never told me. I'm even more glad he's dead now."

"Say it all you want, Wrex," Alec groaned. "I'm not going to kill any more of your family members let alone another krogan."

"Come on, I thought you handled yourself just fine."

"Yeah, well you weren't the one getting your ass kicked."

Garrus had crossed over the room, ignoring the two, to pick up a white rifle that was lying in a corner. "A Widow," he breathed. "I've never even _seen_ one before, much less hold one."

"You can have the sniper, turian," Wrex waved. "I always preferred something a little more personal." He reached over and grabbed a Wraith shotgun, hefting it and checking the sights.

Alec, meanwhile, had found the gun that he wanted. He marched over to where it lay and hoisted it up, making Garrus breathe out in surprise. The Revenant machine gun was, for all intents and purposes, a meat grinder in gun form. It delivered a whopping seven hundred rounds per minute, contained a base clip of four hundred and eighty shots, and had an unbelievable stopping power. Alec stopped to examine the rifle more closely.

"I've heard that the recoil on this thing can shatter limbs if used for extended periods."

Wrex walked over, "Yeah, but see the recoil dampener fitted to the stock? A krogan wouldn't add that. I'm guessing that it was originally used by a turian before it came here."

"In other words, this gun is ready to fire."

"Looks that way," Garrus said, unable to control the twitching of his mandibles.

Alec clapped his hands together, "Now, let's see if I can find another suit of armor to replace this."

"What, Alec?" Garrus asked mockingly, "Getting tired of black?"

"Nah, shield generator was smashed to bits when I was pinned. Also, several of the plates have cracked, most likely from the combination of the last few days' events."

"Then you might want to consider _this_," Garrus said, opening the door to a nearby locker and stepping aside so Alec could see.

The armor was humanoid in design, black with blood red lines etched into the surface. It looked like carbon fiber but it was much more durable than that. Alec let out a low whistle at first glance.

"It looks intimidating. Batarian made?"

Garrus nodded, "Yep. Terminus Assault Armor. Most expensive combat armor on the market today."

"Fuck me, right?"

Garrus gestured to the suit, "Well _boss_, you want to try it out? I promise we won't peek."

Five minutes later, Alec strode out, covered in the shiny black and red material. Garrus nodded in admiration while Wrex beat his fists together.

"Ha! Now you look like you could take on ten krogan battlemasters!"

Alec could barely contain his excitement, "I feel that I could, with all of the goodies encased in this thing. It's got a more powerful shield generator, I've noticed. There are also several combat suites uploaded into the helmet of this thing for better targeting."

Garrus was swaying with excitement, "Anything else?"

Alec gave a sly smile, "Watch this." He made a gesture with his head and suddenly pieces embedded in the collar of his armor rose up to encase his head in a protective shell. The built in helmet had upped the coolness factor but that wasn't what Alec had in mind. Flicking a switch on his omni-tool, the armor gave a slight shimmer and disappeared, the faint outline not immediately visible to both Garrus and Wrex. Five seconds later, the armor came out of its cloaking and reappeared in front of a surprised turian and krogan.

"I heard that STG was developing cloaking tech, but I never realized they actually put it into production," Garrus said in awe.

"I wasn't aware of that, either," Alec said, equally struck. "I can only use it for around thirty seconds before the cells have to recharge, though. You think it was a prototype that got stolen?"

"If it ended up here, then anything's possible."

"But wait," Alec said. "That's not my favorite bit."

Garrus was about to open his mouth to ask what could possibly be better than a cloaking device when Alec swiped his hand down and a glowing bar of energy appeared alongside it.

"No…way. An omni-sword?"

Alec was laughing, "I know, right? This thing is a dream!"

Wrex was also leaning forward in intrigue, "That could come in handy in a knife fight. They won't be expecting you to pull _that_ out, that's for sure."

Alec sheathed the sword, "For once, I think I'm actually prepared going into a fight. Wish I had this five years ago."

Garrus leaned back, "You sure there's going to be a fight, Alec?"

"I know there is."

"Well, then that means no more waiting around!" Wrex roared, "Come on, turian. Six hours flight to the Citadel. It's time for you to see how much damage one krogan can do." He stopped before he left the armory, "Uh, you wouldn't know how to _fly_ the damned thing would you?"

Garrus shrugged before following Wrex, "As long as you stop calling me 'turian,' I think I may have a solution to your problem."

"Heh, Garrus. You'll soon find out that I'm quite a nice guy underneath…"

* * *

The Citadel control tower was always empty at this hour. Most of the processes were automated and it didn't take much to clear ships to land in terms of actual effort. The salarian at the desk right now was the only person on duty, absentmindedly lost in his thoughts as he scanned information on ship after ship.

It was considered a slow night which meant that he had no incoming ships for the last fifteen minutes. At this rate, he might be able to get a power nap in. If only he didn't have that notion in the back of his head that a ship would arrive just as he would nod off.

The current Wards docks the salarian was in charge of were all empty. All four bays remained unoccupied. This was common at night. Most of the shops were closed and there weren't any bars in the area that would require a patron to bring their ship over for drinks. They usually went to the embassy levels to engage in their debauchery and sin.

There was a faint whirring behind him. A coworker probably forgot his paperwork at his desk. No sense in derailing his train of thought now on such matters. It wasn't even his business.

A _boom_ contradicted his notions entirely and he winked out of existence, not even knowing what had happened. A man with short brown hair wiped the salarian's guts off the console, shouldering his shotgun, and depressed four buttons in sequence. Two minutes later, four ships arrived and docked in the unoccupied spots in the wards. He hurried downstairs to catch the elevator to the proper level. It would be some time before anyone located the dead air traffic control worker, he had made sure to override the door shut after he left.

After a characteristically long elevator ride, Silas walked into a nearby alley and saw his unit ready to go, along with another team that belonged to Marcus. All were armored, all were packing. Their white helmets made them look all the more fearsome. Silas had expressly refused such a covering, the men needed to see his face when he gave the orders.

Marcus moved forward, "Everyone is all ready, sir."

"Derek and Yousef?"

"Also in position."

"Good, you remember the plan?"

"Reach C-Sec, overwhelm its defenses, Derek and I will stay behind while your team and Yousef's will intercept the Council."

"Assuming the target will be _with_ the Council."

Marcus smiled, "It's guaranteed."

Silas nodded, "Any more contact attempts from our informant?"

"Not that I've heard."

Silas made the theatrical move to give a sad shake to his head, "He will be rather disappointed in our actions, then. But I've made the decision, if he is spotted, you kill him. No questions asked. I don't want any loose ends on this, even if we are not assured survival."

"It will be done, brother."

Silas opened his omni-tool and set it to communicate with every last trooper, "You all know your assignments. I won't trouble you by repeating them again. We all know who the target is, though. I would prefer that they remain alive long enough for me to finish it off. However, I will understand if you will have to shoot them dead in case they are not in their supposed position. Once we go up these elevators, the real work begins. Make me proud, all of you."

He closed the omni-tool and ignored Marcus' praising of his ability to give speeches. Silas snorted, speeches didn't win wars, soldiers did.

And good soldiers followed orders.


	10. Chapter 9: Homeworld

2026

_En route to the Rayya – Five months before TSF Kevzin tour_

The shuttle cruised on through the blackness, effortlessly gliding by the geth blockade which had graciously created a hole to let the tiny ship pass through. Inside, Alec and Tali were staring anxiously at their new passenger, as was the pilot, despite Alec barking to him earlier to keep calm and just fly.

Legion sat opposite them, appearing quite calm and stoic, despite the unconscious tension in the air. Alec drummed his fingers on his leg, to try and take his mind off what would happen within the next half hour. Tali, characteristically, was already ahead of him on that point.

"When we reach the Fleet…it's going to be hard to convince everyone not to shoot Legion on sight."

Alec grimaced, "I was just thinking that. It's going to be tricky to even get it an audience with the admirals."

Legion tilted its glowing head, "We do not intend to cause offense, Creator Zorah. We will gladly submit to any restraints you deem necessary."

Tali raised a hand, "I appreciate that, Legion. But I think that restraints might not calm my people down much."

"You anticipate that the Creators will lash out in anger."

"Yes. I do."

The geth dipped its head in an imitation of a nod, "Understood. We hope that they will adopt a more cautious stance when we arrive."

"I hope so, too," Alec said.

A shift in acceleration told them that the shuttle had arrived in the system where the Fleet was stationed. They heard the pilot give his access clearance and a short while later, a series of clicks and rumbles reverberated throughout the shuttle. They had docked.

Alec stretched his neck and sighed, unhooking his pistol from his holster. Tali, standing by the door, appeared shocked.

"You…you're not going to _shoot_ them, are you?"

"No," Alec shook his head. "But if they don't relax, I may have to intimidate them some. Open it."

Gingerly, Tali lifted a finger to the release button, which proceeded to slide open, revealing a squad of quarian marines on the other side. The one in front immediately saluted.

"Ma'am. It's good to see that- Ancestors!" The marine fumbled for his assault rifle and pointed it at Legion. "Prepare to fire!" He shouted.

"No!" Alec yelled, walking between the marine and the geth. "Squad Leader, stand down. Right now!"

"I'm not letting a geth on board this ship!"

"This geth is not the enemy, lower your weapon!"

"Screw that! I have a duty to protect this Fleet and I will not let one of those bastards get past me."

In one smooth, fluid motion, Alec raised his arm to point the pistol at the marine's face, "Stand the _fuck_ down, Squad Leader."

The quarian was confused, "What? What are you-"

"Don't make me do it, soldier."

"_Kal_!" Tali cried. "Do as he says!"

The human's and quarian's eyes were locked, a different battle clashing between them. After what seemed like an eternity, the marine lowered the rifle, "Stand down, men."

Alec also holstered his gun, "I apologize, marine. There's been a new development and we need to take this geth to see the admirals."

"A new development? Last I heard the admirals had already declared you dead on your mission and you come and bring _this_ on board the _Rayya_?"

"Dead?" Alec's brow dipped, "We were only gone five hours. You mean to tell us that they think that we failed on our mission?"

"Technically they issued the statement four hours ago."

"Oh, that's just great," Alec sighed sarcastically. "Well, they'll be surprised when they hear what this geth has to say."

"You mean it talks? I can't recall if I ever came across a geth that was programmed to talk before."

"Your confusion is well founded, Creator Reegar," Legion offered. "We were constructed to interact with organics by adding additional runtimes within this platform."

The marine called Reegar exhaled explosively, "Keelah…I believe it now. But is this all you found down there? How did you capture a geth?"

Alec gave a smile, "Escort us to the admirals and you will get all of the answers to your questions."

"Trust us," Tali said. "You'll love it."

* * *

Compared to his first day on the Citadel, Alec could not recollect such a bevy of stares directed at him in his life before. Perhaps that had something to do with the geth that was now surrounded by a squad of quarian marines striding purposefully towards the courtyard. With each civilian they passed, he could hear a sharp intake of breath as they laid eyes on the enemy they had despised for centuries. He did admit, that if he was in their position, he would be scared shitless at this time.

The group ran into where Veetor'Nara had been working and the man was so startled he backed into his console, causing a shrieking sound to echo throughout the hold. Cleaning up the mess, the quarian could only stammer as they continued to march forward, finally seeing the bright expanse beyond the dim corridor.

Blinking in the harsh light, there were more people seated in the room than Alec had anticipated. There were several gasps, a few curses, and even a couple shouts of "Security!" He could only chuckle as he moved down the steps to face the admirals standing on the dais, no doubt shocked at the return of the human, and more so the presence of Legion.

Alec threw up his hands in a grand gesture, "I apologize for the tardiness, admirals. I was unavoidably delayed while touring your world. It really is a beautiful place."

Gerrel sputtered, "You-you can't have been to the _homeworld_! It's been blockaded! And where did you find that geth and why is it still operational? Guards, seize it!"

Alec, rolling his eyes, turned around to point his pistol at the marines who were trying to sidle past Reegar and Tali, "No one touches Legion. Is that to be understood?"

"Legion?" Xen asked, "You _named_ the geth?"

"What did you want me to call it, by its serial number?"

"That would be more accurate, for a change," Koris muttered.

Alec ignored the outburst and faced Gerrel, "To answer your original question, we found Legion on Rannoch. It offered to clarify a few misconceptions about the past few hundred years. I suggest you listen, admirals. This is meant to be in your favor."

"Misconcep- do you have any idea what they've _done_ to us?" Gerrel roared.

"And did you ever stop to think what you did to them all those years ago?" Alec shouted back, "You tried to _murder_ them! You were scared that you created an artificial intelligence so you tried to correct your mistake!"

Xen was shaking her head, "You know nothing about what happened, human."

"Wrong!" Alec snapped. "I saw everything! I saw the whole history, don't you stand up there with your pompous attitude and have the gall to tell me what I don't know."

As he was saying this, a hologram was projected behind him from Tali. She had recorded the entire incident when they were conversing with Legion. The images shown in the courtyard depicted the quarians going through their monstrous acts of desperately trying to terminate every single geth platform on the planet. The recording never turned away, never faltered over the cries of civilians, the tortured clicks and whirrs from failing geth, and the low rumble of the bombardments.

Alec gestured to the visuals, "You still want to stand here and try to make it look like your actions were justified? The fact of the matter is this, the geth do not want to fight you. You've been dragging on this war for too long because you were so stupid that you never realized that it was _your_ actions that put you in this predicament. Yours, not theirs."

Koris defended, "How? How could we have known-"

"How? How about rushing in time after time to take back your world by force? Did you not connect the dots and determine that the geth only retaliate when provoked? When was the last time you heard of geth crossing the relay network and actually going on the offensive?"

Alec was bright red, furious, "And for that matter, take Legion's presence in this room. It's a geth, why doesn't he attack? Why _not_ attack? The geth certainly have the firepower to wipe all of you out without hesitation, yet they never attack outright. I'll tell you why Legion doesn't attack, it-_he_ doesn't attack because he wishes to live. The geth only want to survive and each time you return you bring death for them."

Raan now spoke for the first time, "But…what does this mean?"

Legion now answered, his electronic tone projected loudly, "It means, Creator Raan, that you can return to your homeworld. With us."

There was sudden silence in the courtyard. No one spoke. Alec could hear a few sobs coming from the civilians at these words. The admirals appeared stunned, as if they did not expect those words to come from a geth. Trying not to get to emotional, he continued, "It's your choice, admirals. You can either rush through that relay, guns blazing, and we will all die. Or, you can set aside your weapons, and return to your home. I'm done trying to convince you, I've given you all the information I have. It's on your heads now, make your choice."

Alec stepped back in disgust, trying to give his darkest look possible. They needed to see the truth of his words, they needed to see that they had been wrong this whole time. They needed to understand.

All four admirals slowly looked at one another. No one gave any trace of defiance. Sensing this, Admiral Gerrel opened his omni-tool and spoke into it, "Captain? Give us a heading for Rannoch. No battle stations necessary."

Alec slumped to a bench in relief, Tali quickly joining him to give a tight hug, "I can't believe it! You did it!"

All Alec could do was laugh.

* * *

"We've reached Rannoch, admirals," the pilot's voice said over the intercom. "ETA to Rannoch, eight minutes. Geth blockade in sight."

The courtyard was rapidly becoming more crowded, filling with quarians as they congregated to hear the updates of the flight crew. The admirals were standing in their positions, frozen in attention. Alec and Tali were still seated on the bench, resigned. Legion was standing upright next to them, attentive and immovable.

Glancing up to the geth, Alec said, "You're sure that the geth will allow the quarians to rebuild on Rannoch?"

Legion merely looked down, "If the Creators do not attack, why would we?"

Alec shrugged at the response. He wanted to listen a little more, anyway.

"A few hundred kilometers to the blockade," the pilot's voice cut in, sounding a little strained. "We still have not received any enemy fire."

Xen said sharply, "Do not fire, captain. That is an order."

"Understood, admiral."

Alec slowly closed his eyes, he didn't want to see any more. He didn't want to know if he had been tricked, that it was all a geth ploy to lead them to their deaths. He just wanted to know for certain that everything was going to turn out all right, that he would get to live with his wife on her homeworld. That would be enough.

"The _Rayya_…has cleared the blockade, admirals," the pilot choked with relief.

There was a deafening roar that discharged from the audience. Cheers erupted from all over the courtyard. Alec opened his eyes. He could see quarians, a mass of colors, all hugging and embracing one another. The marines in the crowd were also jumping up and down like maniacs, all dignity forgotten. Several had sunk to their knees, praising whatever gods they believed in for their new world. The admirals were stunned. Xen's knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed. Raan quickly knelt beside her to put her arms around her companion. Gerrel and Koris moved over in an awkward embrace, their body movement betraying their relief.

Tali's helmet was nuzzling Alec's forehead as she held him, starting to cry. The roar of the crowd was still going, continuing to erupt in the small space. Alec looked up at Legion and stood to offer his hand.

"Thank you, Legion."

The geth cocked its head, "We do not understand. We have done nothing to deserve this praise."

Alec shook his hand, "No, Legion. You fulfilled your mission." He gestured to the room, "They can go home now."

The geth hesitated before accepting the handshake, "We are grateful for your assistance, Lee-Human."

"And _I'm_ grateful as well," Tali said, also standing to meet Legion. In a move that surprised even Alec, she too held out her hand, "I just wanted you to know…that I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I…I didn't-"

"There is nothing to be ashamed about, Creator Zorah," Legion said calmly while also taking her hand. "You did nothing wrong."

Tali gave a nod and slowly sat back down before whispering, "Now, we're all home."

* * *

They stood back on the cliff, watching the waves below. They gazed around Rannoch, drinking in every sight to behold. Behind them were a mass of shuttles that were spilling out quarians from the _Rayya_. Many were on their knees, taking in the feel of their homeworld. A couple of the admirals were milling about in a daze, still barely comprehending that they were on their own planet.

Alec and Tali were not acknowledging them; they were concentrating on the flat bit of land that they faced.

"I think the living room should go right…there," Tali said, pointing.

"How many stories do you want it to have?"

"Three seems nice. I could do with a bit of extra space."

"And we need a water feature. All good houses have a water feature."

Tali laughed, "Is that some sort of Earth custom?"

Alec turned to her in a bemused expression, "It isn't? I would think that every civilization would utilize water in the landscape of their houses at one point or another."

"Well…not quarians."

"Yet."

"_Fine_. You can pick out the water feature. I wouldn't know what to put there anyway."

A crunch of rocks interrupted their conversation. Shifting themselves, they could see Admiral Raan coming their way with a long, thin package. Alec nodded his head in greeting and straightened his posture.

"Admiral Raan, how are you holding up?"

She shifted her weight from foot to foot before responding, "It's all so…_real_. We've never seen the homeworld in so long…I'm actually at a loss at what to do, to be honest."

"I'm sure the quarians will adapt just fine. They are a very hardy folk."

"As are you, Alec Lee. I was very impressed at how you handled yourself up there. You spoke with fire in your heart."

"He always gets that way when he's angry," Tali said cheerfully as she sidled up to his side.

Raan nodded, "Nevertheless, the other admirals and I wanted to give you something so that people know that you're a friend to the quarian people." She held out the thin object in her arms. Curious, Alec took it and saw a hilt that protruded from the package. Alec gripped it and slid it out of the sheath.

The sword was long and sharp. It had been recently polished, its reflectivity intense. It had two serrated edges and a thin tip. It was a lovely weapon.

"I…I don't know what to say…" Alec gasped.

"You don't have to say anything," Raan said. "This sword was created over seven hundred years ago and it has been with the quarian people ever since. It is only fitting that we provide it to you for giving us back our homeworld."

Stunned, Alec managed, "But…I never…I don't deserve this honor, admiral. I only wanted to…"

Raan moved forward to put a hand on his shoulder, "You've done more for the quarian people than anyone else in history. It would be unfair of us to not let such an act go unrewarded."

Alec breathed in, sheathing the sword, "Thank you, admiral. It…it was my pleasure."

Raan tipped her head, "Thank _you_, Alec Lee. _Keelah se'lai_."

She suddenly turned on her heel to walk back the group, shuttles still landing to offload more civilians. Alec looked back at her and down again in the sword in his hands.

"Wow."

* * *

_Four months later_

The shuttle settled down on the now familiar dusty soil of Rannoch. Clambering off, Tali and Alec waved to the pilot who lifted off back toward the main settlement. A makeshift path had been created from where they landed and they followed it at a light jog, eager to see what was on the end.

Moving past a grove of shrubs, they could see their destination on top of a bluff. The house stood, three stories tall, as requested, made up of a combination of brushed steel and smooth granite. It had a modern flair to it, as was suggested by Alec, but also had a few contours that were decidedly quarian. Standing in front of the main door, to their surprise, stood Veetor and Legion.

"What are you guys doing here?" Alec asked in surprise.

Veetor shrugged, "I wanted to check out the house, is all. It seemed like an important occasion."

Tali turned to Legion, "You said that construction wouldn't take long but I didn't know it would be this quick."

Legion dipped his head at that, "Geth do not tire. We requisitioned the aid of fifty individual platforms that worked each hour of each day since you forwarded the floor plans. We only hope that we have constructed you establishment to your satisfaction."

Alec could only smile, "From what I'm seeing, it's fantastic, Legion." He moved to the door, which slid silently open to welcome them into their new home.

Veetor whistled, "You could fit a couple shuttles in here and have enough room for a nightclub."

The foyer was large and spacious, a small carped was installed in front. The floor was dark granite, smooth and hard. The rooms up ahead were the living room and the kitchen, both gleaming with the dark stonework that adorned it. Alec ran a hand across the counter, feeling the coolness of the surface. He gazed around the rooms before turning back to Legion.

"It's perfect."

Tali was awestruck at the fact that she now had a house to call her home, she was looking up the staircase, examining the two stories above her. She walked into the living room, glowing eyes wide.

"I…think it's the best house in the galaxy."

She tilted her head, looking into the backyard, "But, Alec…I thought you said that there was going to be a water feature. That just looks like a giant pond in the middle of the ground."

Alec laughed, "That's called a pool, Tali. It's used for relaxing when you want to swim outside."

"I can't exactly swim."

"I can teach you. You see that there's a clear surface extending over the backyard? It's environmentally sealed so you have the ability to go into the pool, if you were so inclined."

"You thought of everything."

Veetor and Legion had left them alone by now, most likely to explore the other rooms. Legion was probably examining the house, trying to determine if there were any faults that needed to be rectified before its new tenants moved in. Alec and Tali moved toward the window that overlooked the bay, the orange light of the sun hitting their faces.

"We're going to have to work out some furniture," Tali said.

"We can just grab some from the apartment to start and figure it out from there."

"Do we really need the apartment anymore?"

Alec shrugged, "It wouldn't hurt having a place on the Citadel. It might come in handy."

"If you say so. But that means that, if you decide to live here more, you will have to commute to your job at C-Sec."

"Don't worry about that," Alec said, waving a hand. "I'm actually planning on winding down work there, maybe even quitting altogether."

"What! But…I thought you liked working there. And aren't you worried about any financial problems this may cause?"

Alec hugged his wife, "Tali, I never did tell you this because it wasn't exactly the most important thing at the time, but when the quarians returned to Rannoch, Admiral Xen approached me and told me that I would be receiving performance royalties from my conduct for the rest of my life. She insisted on it because I helped them regain their planet."

Tali jerked, "So…that means…"

"It means we have all the money we could ever want for the rest of our natural lives…and even through the rest of our family's lives."

Tali drooped her head, "Alec…I know you have talked about starting a family…but I don't know. I'm not so sure about adoption…but I can't give you a _child_. I know you want one badly, but I-"

"Are you sure?"

Tali was getting a little puzzled at his behavior, "Yes, you know this. Our amino acids are different so it's impossible for me to start a family that way."

Alec leaned back, face passive as if deep in thought, "Let me tell you something, and we'll see what happens afterward."

"Okay?"

"A few months ago, I was looking on the extranet for inspiration to start a family. Looking at stuff to buy in preparation and what not. What I was also looking at were cases how dextro-levo relationships produced offspring. Like you said, they all ended up adopting, at least the cases I found going back six years ago."

"Why only six years?"

Alec leaned forward, tone serious, "Because, a new medical procedure had been developed and was implemented at Huerta hospital five years ago. It wouldn't have caught on our radar because we don't read medical journals but the procedure, I found out, was called Amcon and performed an extraordinary thing."

Tali also leaned forward, "What was it?"

"Well, I visited Huerta to find out more. I got to talking with a salarian doctor who, after I told him to slow his speaking pace, explained what happens. You see, apparently there has been a growth of dextro-levo relationships within the galaxy that Amcon was developed as a solution for potential parents. The doctor showed me how it works."

Alec was now speaking rapidly in a hushed tone, "Amcon basically takes a DNA sample from a male and places it in a centrifuge, where a beam of polarized radiation is positioned at the sample. The radiation destroys the amino acids in the male sample and at the exact moment of destruction, the DNA of the female is introduced. Now…here's the interesting bit. When the female's DNA is introduced, the bonds are negatively charged so that the nucleotides from the male connect to the female's, introducing the foreign amino acids to the male's. Now the sample has two individual DNA strands in it, both of the same chirality."

"And," Tali said, beginning to understand. "This means that…"

"This means that we can start a family. You and I. Together."

Tali sat perfectly still, trying to find a fault in Alec's argument. Daring to hope that she could give him the thing he wanted most in his life. There was simply no other alternative.

She raised her head, "When do we start?"

* * *

_One month later_

"You really want to go?"

"Absolutely. Garrus really wanted me to accompany him on this and I really want to see another world."

Alec and Tali stood in front of the gate to the _Kevzin_, a turian frigate that was preparing to embark for Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. Behind them, the ambassador was already boarding along with an escort of guards, plus a few humans.

"I…I've heard bad things about that place, you sure you're going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine. I've been assured that the place we're going to is relatively friendly to visitors."

She shook her head, "That doesn't mean it's safe."

Alec cupped her head in his hands, "I'll be sure to call you. If you want, you can stay at the apartment until I return. That way you can be closer in spirit."

"Don't take too long, anywhere gets awfully lonely without you."

"Now how can I refuse an offer like that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Because you love me and I love you?"

Alec laughed, "Point taken. But seriously, don't worry. It's only for a few days and I'm just going to be in the background. I won't be shouting, shooting, or killing this time. Just staying out of sight." He checked his chronometer, "I better go. I'll see you when I get back, my love."

Tali's heart rate spiked for a second, "Alec!" she called.

He turned, "Yes?"

"Um…" she faltered. "Never mind, I'll tell you when you get back."

Alec grinned and gave a mock salute, "I'll hold you to that, then." He proceeded to enter the ship as the hatch closed behind him.


	11. Chapter 10: All Alone

2026

_The Citadel – Present Day_

"Maybe you could help us, Miss Zorah, on telling us what kind of a man he was."

The quarian councilor spoke gently to her, standing atop the platform in the center of the room. On the catwalk stood Tali, with Veetor by her side, as she struggled to answer the question.

"Please, Tali," the councilor implored, her voice carrying through the room. "We want to get a better idea of what he was like for-"

"For the eulogy?" Tali snapped. "So you could write his name on some wall somewhere? That's all I'm going to get from this? If you truly _cared_, you would do something but you say that it is impossible, that you can't even collect his…" She trailed off, suddenly tired after her outburst. Veetor reached down and squeezed her hand in reassurance. She appreciated the gesture, yet it lacked something. She missed the grip of his five fingers on her three, the strong grasp that he always provided. It just wasn't the same.

"Tali'Zorah," the turian councilor said sternly. "You know as well as we do that sending a rescue team to look for Alec Lee's body is practically impossible. The planet itself is treacherous and we have no idea where it crash landed. The krogan might ward off any aid we offer, potentially starting a war."

Tali sighed, "He…he would still w-want me t-to…"

"That's enough, Tali," said the quarian councilor. "We have nothing but respect for your husband. He was a good man who truly cared about you. He even earned a spot in our culture's history as the human who brokered peace between our people and the geth. He gave us – you – our homeworld back. That's an accomplishment that no one else can claim. But, everyone knows that story. We'd like to hear your side."

If they could only see through her visor, as Alec always appeared to, her murderous gaze would shut them up then and there. She shrugged out of Veetor's loose grip, "Alec, my husband, was the kindest, most gentle human…_person_, that I ever knew. He cared about me, he _loved_ me. And I loved him. I know that he would have died for me if it ever came to that." She glanced down, unwilling to say more, "You have what you need. I don't want to be here anymore."

"We understand, Tali," the asari councilor said. "And we will respect his memory so that the galaxy would remember what he did for them."

"But…" she said in a whisper. "He did it for _me_…"

A vibration suddenly passed through the room, the foundations shaking slightly. Tali raised her head, alarmed. All over, the guards were on their omni-tools, barking into them for orders. The councilors were looking to and fro, concerned at what was happening.

"What's going on?" Tali asked.

A guard suddenly came over to her and Veetor, "Time to go. This way." He started pulling them to an elevator to the left of the councilors' platform. Glancing to her right, she saw the Council also being ushered in the same direction. They crammed into the same elevator and one of the guards hit the button for the commons.

"Something's gone wrong," he explained. "There are a few shuttles on the lower platforms. We have to take them to get to safety."

"What exactly is happening?" asked the salarian councilor.

The turian guard shook his head, "Right now, it's unclear. But we have reason to believe that terrorists have attacked the Citadel."

Tali jerked. Terrorists? On the Citadel? Who would be so stupid to launch an offensive within the center of the galactic government?

The elevator jerked to a stop. The guard cautiously inched out the open door and looked around both corners before beckoning to the group. "It's all clear, we can-" A slight _hiss_ was heard and the guard fell backwards, blue blood pouring out of an entry wound in his neck. Someone in the elevator screamed as the mist of blood coated everyone. Tali, shaking off the initial shock, drew her pistol, Veetor doing the same. There were footsteps approaching the elevator door. They were taking their time, they weren't rushing at all. Definitely not reinforcements, then.

A glimpse of a white helmet peering over was all that Tali needed. She loosed two shots and the figure slumped to the ground. "Everyone out," she shouted. "Right now!" She sprung out of the elevator to see if there were any more enemies lying in wait but the coast appeared to be clear. She stepped over to the person she'd shot, examining it more closely and bending to pick up the dropped assault rifle.

The figure was a human, draped in white armor. She was glad that the target was helmeted because a quarter of the man's head was missing, from her initial volley, splattered across the tile floor. This made no sense. Why would humans do such a thing? It reminded her of-

"Oh, Keelah," she moaned. _No, it can't be them. They can't be here, it isn't possible._

"Tali?" Veetor asked, "What is it?"

"I…think I know these people," she gasped. "I think they're the same people who tried to kill me and Alec back on Earth."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes. It has to be. Who else would…oh no. They're the ones who blew up the ship, they killed him. They actually did it."

"Tali?" Veetor was starting to get worried, "Calm down, Tali. We will get out of this."

Tali ignored him, "They killed Alec. They killed my husband…they will all die for what they've done!"

With a scream, Tali started to run where the soldier originated from but Veetor caught her arm and pinned her against the wall, "What in the name of the Ancestors are you doing?"

"Let go of me! I'm going to murder them all!"

"Don't throw your life away, Tali!"

"It doesn't matter anymore! If I die then I will get to be with him forever. I can at least take as many of them out before I do."

Veetor snarled, "He wouldn't want it to be like this!"

Tali slapped him across the visor, "Don't…don't you _dare_ presume to know what he would have done. He-"

"He would not want you to die needlessly for his sake! He wanted you to have a normal life! Keelah, Tali…think of-"

Two white forms suddenly appeared from behind a series of columns, behind Tali. Grabbing her pistol, he lifted his arms and held both guns akimbo, squeezing the triggers several times for the humans to have their chests erupt in fountains of plastic, blood, and bone. A _snap_ by his ear told him that he should get to cover. He ran over to Tali, handed her pistol back and started pulling her back toward where the Council retreated. She didn't bother putting up a fight this time.

* * *

They caught up with the group after a few minutes. Turns out the elevator had deposited them on the wrong floor and now they were hurtling down staircases to make up for lost time. Now escort-less, Tali took point while Veetor covered the rear. From time to time, she could hear the pulsing of Veetor's pistol but each time she checked Veetor remained unhurt, having warded off each wave of enemies.

Stepping out of the hallway, she collected her bearings by viewing the lake in the middle of the station. They were at the commons. The majority of the high end shops on the Citadel were located here. She knew that there was a shuttle bay just a few flights down. They only needed to find another staircase.

That would prove to be a bit of a challenge as the commons were currently swarming with troops, both good and bad. C-Sec officers were currently raining fire from the balcony above, but no matter how many humans they hit, another came up to replace them. The humans were winning by attrition; the C-Sec officers eventually fell under the barrage of fire and quiet hummed over the area for a second.

One of the helmeted humans looked in her direction, spotting the ragtag group from across the yard. "Hey!" he yelled but Tali quickly leveled her rifle and fired in his direction. The man fell with a wound to the gut, blood vomiting past his helmet as he lay there in agony. The rest of the troopers turned and opened fire in unison. Tali ducked behind a low wall. The humans had a lot of firepower but their aim was sloppy. They were also burning through their clips too fast, at this rate they would be out of ammo in seconds.

Her theory was proven correct when she was rewarded with a series of _clicks_. "Fuck!" She heard one of the humans yell out. Tali broke from her crouch and methodically placed three bullets in three heads. They all fell to the ground as the remaining ones scattered. There were only five left now, but they had most likely reloaded. She spotted a leg that was out of cover and fired, hitting it and sending it flying. The human began to scream as blood poured out of the ragged stump, sluicing across the shiny ground. The man sitting next to the wounded one stood up, shocked, and lost his head to a bullet soon after.

_Three left to go._

There were two sitting behind a shop counter, she could tell. At the moment, it looked like they were too busy arguing and they weren't using their mics because she could hear every word they could say.

"The fuck are you doing? You don't need that!"

"The bitch is going to burn, I can use a grenade if I want!"

"You already pushed the button, you stupid fucker! It lit up when you handled it!"

"Shit, man! Why didn't you-"

The grenade exploded from behind the counter, obliterating the two nincompoops with the unfortunate timing. Tali just stared at what transpired and shook her head at the spectacle, too bewildered to quip.

Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed her by the back of the neck. She was lifted up out of cover and a gun was jammed into the side of her helmet, her assault rifle clattered to the floor.

"Don't move, you little whore," the soldier said. "You don't want to make it any worse for yourself."

"You're a little late on that bit," Tali said dryly. She made a subtle motion with her arm and she heard a tiny _shick_! Her elbow blade popped out from underneath the slot embedded in her suit and she savagely rammed it into the thug's midsection and twisted her arm, creating a huge gash in the man's unarmored side. The man screamed in pain and fell, shocking white bones of his ribs exposed from the deep cut. Tali moved to grab her pistol and fired as she rolled away, silencing the man.

"Clear!" she coughed, trying to catch her breath and hoping that the adrenaline would give her more of an edge. The councilors sprung from around the corner and headed to the staircase in the back of the room. Hacking, she soon followed, with Veetor still covering the back. Regaining point position, she took the stairs three at a time until they reached the bay.

The room was comparatively small in scope, with small places reserved for the Kodiak shuttles that were popular with C-Sec and various militaries. There were walls of glass that separated each bay and with the medium high ceiling it looked like more of an office. They stepped into one of the partitioned bays, looking past the jutting alcoves to see if they could spot anything that was capable of flight. There was nothing available. No shuttles were around, either in use by troops or destroyed outright. Tali gestured to the councilors in an effort to rally them.

"We're going to the next level down, there's an elevator that will take us to C-Sec headquarters where we can bunker down-"

Both doors on opposite ends of the hanger opened, spilling out white armored humans that leveled guns at the group. Tali and Veetor instinctively moved in front of the Council, weapons raised, in an effort to buy some time. The humans, on the other hand, made no effort to fire. One had his helmet off, was sweating and grinning from ear to ear. He turned to a figure that had black accents on his chestplate and tattooed, muscular arms that were unarmored. The massive arms lifted the helmet off the man's head where it was thrown to the ground, clattering away. Tali and Veetor laid their weapons down on the ground in surrender, unsure of what to do.

Silas raised his pistol and slowly shifted it from Veetor to Tali, staring at her with pure hatred, "The target has been acquired," he spoke into his omni-tool. "All units, take up defensive positions."

* * *

The human manning the tower was bored. Derek had told Joe to specifically draw away any docking ships but they were more focused on leaving than going, at this rate. The man waited for his partner, Russo, to finish coming back from the john so that they might discuss leaving the tower to get in on the action. A swish of the door told him that his friend was back.

"Shit, Russo. You took your sweet time in there." Joe unwrapped his packet of cigarettes and fished around for one. Accomplishing the task, he held it out to Russo, who declined.

"What? A guy can't take a piss for very long in a battle? So I stalled, big deal. This post is a waste of time, anyway."

Midway through lighting his cig, Joe paused between puffs, "You want to see if we can get in?"

Russo nodded, "Hell yeah. I don't want to sit on my ass all day."

Joe shrugged, "Fuck it, we're going."

"Oh _Christ_, what is that?"

Russo was pointing out the window to one of the airlocks on the level below. A frigate, similar to their stolen turian ones, was lining up to dock. It was grey and the pilot was expertly maneuvering it below their own ships towards the dock. Joe grimaced, they had been so close to leaving too. It was odd that they didn't bother to hail the tower asking for permission. That would have helped in the detection until Russo had to look out the damn window.

Joe tilted his head, "Reinforcements?"

"Hell if I know, you think they would've called in."

"But…technically, _we_ didn't call in when we docked."

Russo laughed, "True that. But still, you think it's worth a look?"

Joe groaned, "_Fine_. But we leave to catch up with the main group after. Understood?"

"Whatever."

Both of them took off running down the staircase and down the marked hallway to reach the appropriate dock. Padding across the carpeted floor, they waited for the door to open.

"What do you think man, hostiles?" Russo hissed.

"No fucking clue."

"You think we should line up on the side of the doors to be sure?"

"Yeah, let's go."

They started to move forward, heading to position themselves accordingly when it became clear that their little conversation just cost them their lives. The airlock doors to the frigate suddenly opened, making Joe and Russo freeze in their tracks. They could see nothing beyond the black expanse that was the interior of the ship. Just then, a sequence of flashes appeared from the ship and Joe felt the briefest of impacts before the white light overtook him. Russo, glanced down to see the body of his friend, mangled by a dozen bullet holes, fall nosily down. He tried to bring his rifle to bear but a bigger and louder boom echoed and Russo's upper half of his body disintegrated, raining bloody chunks, and leaving his lower waist to spill all of its remaining fluids on the ground.

Alec, Garrus, and Wrex all stepped out from the frigate, guns smoking from the carnage. They stepped over the drying bodies and walked into the main gate, where they caught an elevator. Listening to C-Sec reports from his omni-tool, Garrus pressed the button for the Presidium Commons. The doors hissed shut and they began their slow climb.

"Got to love the welcome wagon," Garrus said. "You wonder how many there are?"

"Who cares how many?" Wrex laughed, "It's a fight, and things just got a lot more interesting."

Garrus rolled his eyes, "Glad you're so optimistic, Wrex."

The krogan shrugged, "Come on, Garrus. We're three heavily armed bad-asses wading into a ton of bad guys that can't aim for shit. This, I tell you, is going to be fun."

"Fun is not the word I'd use to describe it," Alec said. "But we do have the advantage in firepower, and we have the element of surprise."

"Oh, they're going to be terrified when they see us out there," Wrex said, practically hopping in anticipation. "A turian sharpshooter, a krogan, and one scary looking human are going to make them piss their pants."

Alec smiled at the compliment. He too thought his Terminus armor looked very intimidating. And with all of the extra weapons hidden in its depths, he was itching to try them out on the bastards who tried to murder him and his wife. Conscious be damned, they will all pay.

"So, Alec," Garrus said as the elevator started to decelerate. "What is the plan?"

Alec chinned the control to make his helmet seal over his head, piece by piece from their hidden slots in the armor, the voice modulator giving his voice a deeper edge, "Get to Tali and kill everyone who gets in our way." The elevator doors, perfunctory in their duties, slowly opened to reveal the guests to the ravaged courtyard.

"Let's move."


	12. Chapter 11: Kill Them All

_Citadel_

The offices to the Sirta Foundation branch on the Citadel were currently deserted. The entire building was littered with debris from when people had dropped everything and left at the first sign of trouble. Chairs were strewn all around, most knocked over. Consoles were still open, awaiting a keystroke. The entire place was deathly quiet, completely unoccupied except for two men who were patrolling the halls.

The white armored humans took their time moving down the corridors, pausing to glance into each room and check that there was no one hiding within. They did this for a few minutes more before convening in the cafeteria on the bottom level. A clattering noise caused the men to swivel their heads in the direction from where the sound came from. They spotted the slim form of a salarian who had bolted from his hiding spot behind the counter. One of the men raised his Mattock rifle and released a two round burst that caught the alien in the midsection, dropping him as greenish blood misted in the air.

The soldier laughed at his marksmanship, his partner joining in. They walked alongside the tinted window that ran to the floor to inspect the body. Turning it over with a foot, they could see that the shots had pierced the salarian's heart. Instantaneous death.

The other soldier clapped his mate on the back, "Fucking nice shot."

The man who had fired only nodded his head. They had completed their sweep of the building and the salarian had been the last one who had stayed behind. There were only a few more places to check in this block so they started to head for the exit just a bit ahead. What they failed to notice, until it was too late, was the dark form hurtling at them from the other side of the glass. A shadow fell across them, obstructing the station's intruding light source, causing both of them to turn around in confusion.

A mass of black and red armor crashed through the glass wall, sending shards everywhere. The crashing sound of the material hitting the floor was earsplitting, granules of glass rained down from the assault. The diving figure ended his trajectory by ducking into a roll and sweeping his arm, extending an omni-sword from its wrist, cutting both soldiers in two. The upper halves of their bodies fell in one direction, their legs in the opposite. Taking careful steps so as not to soak his boots in blood, the terrifying figure edged away from the spreading pool. Two seconds later, a harried turian and a krogan lumbered through the hole the armored man had made with his body.

"I take it that stealth is out of the question?" Garrus asked. "Pretty awesome kill, though."

Alec shook his head, a little more vigorously to properly convey his emotions, "I'm through playing nice. Stealth is not an option at this point."

"Just charge in, head first, and shoot at anything that moves?" Wrex laughed. "Sounds just like what krogan do best."

"Then I'm glad we brought a krogan," Garrus commented. "What do you think their capabilities are?"

"If they're anything like these idiots, then it shouldn't be a problem. Worst case, they have guns and they know how to use them. Most likely worst case."

"Oh, that's comforting."

"You knew what you were getting into, Vakarian. Don't tell me you're having second thoughts?"

Garrus, shaking his head, "You said earlier that they were responsible for marooning us on Tuchanka?

"That's what I'm saying."

Garrus nodded, "You have your answer then, Alec." Garrus then balked, "I have to say, you're not going to be mad that we're about to shoot your own people?"

"Not in the slightest," Alec snorted. "We were doing a hell of a good job on Earth before you guys arrived on the scene. Might as well get this over with, what do you say?"

The group passed through the now empty cafeteria to burst into the other side of the Commons. Looking in the distance, Alec could see a few staggered plumes of smoke that belonged to crashed C-Sec shuttles. There were a few bursts of light in the distance. Gunfire. He didn't know whose side was winning at the moment, but he needed to locate his goal. Fast.

"Alec," Garrus called. "I just got off the comm with C-Sec. The Council evacuated their chambers and took the elevator down to the fifth floor of the commons."

"Fifth floor? What's there?"

"Nothing. They would have most likely taken a staircase to reach the third which houses a shuttle bay."

"Have you been monitoring any departures in the last half hour?"

"None so far," Garrus said. "With my information, I don't think anyone has left."

"Then we're going to the third floor."

They started jogging as they hung a left where they found a staircase. It only went down one story and the number "5" that was glowing above them seemed to be mocking Alec. It could only go downhill as he realized that this level was chock-full of enemy troopers.

Garrus' rifle boomed and Alec could see an errant limb go flying, its owner wailing in pain. The enemy force consisted of around fifteen soldiers and all were armed to the teeth. A grenade went off in front of Alec's position, spraying him and Garrus with shards of plastic. He was thankful that he wore the helmet. He unhooked his Revenant machine gun and leaned out of cover and depressed the trigger on full auto.

The recoil was intense, but Alec fought the upward movement to plant the gun steady on the ledge. He wasn't aiming at a specific target, he just moved the gun side to side to sweep a large area free of bad guys. Three of them weren't so lucky once the rifle's bullets bore down on them. Their light armor did next to nothing as the powerful rifle tore into their bodies, shredding them and sending ragged pieces of skin, sinew, and organs spreading across the gantry. One of the human soldiers saw the sight and vomited in his helmet, sick streaming down his neck. Garrus took advantage of the man's incapacitated state to shoot him directly in the temple, causing his brains to fountain into the air.

Wrex, having nothing to do, roared and jumped over the barrier that served as their cover while Alec continued to spray the area with his gun and rushed the nearest figure. The solider was caught off guard, having no time to comprehend the charging mass of krogan that had closed the fifty yard gap. An arm drove into the man's stomach, propelling him into the wall where he got the wind knocked out of him. He would never regain it as the full mass of Wrex sandwiched him against the wall, breaking all of his ribs and puncturing his lungs. The man slid to the floor, leaving a streak of blood against the wall.

Wrex abruptly turned and fired his shotgun, blowing head after head off as he casually strolled past their cover. A few of them turned their rifles onto the krogan but he simply held up an arm to protect his face, the bullets having no effect.

Seeing his chance, Alec leaped over his cover and activated his blade. The sword shimmered to life in an orange-red glow and he swung at the nearest zealot, beheading him. He was also within striking range of three other targets but they were now starting to ignore Wrex and concentrate on the new threat. Depressing a button, he threw up his arm shield on his left, creating a barrier that was impervious to bullets. Protected, Alec simply swung his arm shield across, catching one in a brutal backhand motion, sending the man flying. With his right arm, he sliced it across another's stomach, spilling his intestines. The third was just about to have Alec in his sights when he lunged with the blade, catching the soldier underneath the chin, severing the spine as it came out the other side.

There were only three more thugs left to kill on this level. Two were felled by Garrus' impeccable sniping abilities, their helmets leaking blood from holes in their heads. The last one turned and ran towards the far staircase but Alec drew his pistol and fired one shot into his back from a hundred feet away, dropping him.

"Status?" Alec asked.

"A little scratched up," Garrus coughed. "But I'm fine."

"I feel like it's my birthday, Alec," Wrex laughed. "I've always wanted to have a shootout on the Citadel. It's just as much fun as I thought!"

"Jesus, Garrus!" Alec exclaimed. "A little scratch? You've got blood pouring down your face."

Garrus, confused, placed a palm up to the right side of his face and it came away blue and sticky, "Huh, it doesn't feel all that bad, actually."

"Hand me your medi-gel, you _bosh'tet_. I'll clean that wound up before we continue."

Garrus gave a laugh, "Incorporating the quarian language into your vocabulary now?"

"Be quiet," Alec snapped but it was somewhat softened as he smeared the gel across Garrus' forehead. "So I've picked up a few phrases from Tali, sue me."

"I'm just teasing. I think it's cute."

"Heh, you should hear her when she starts using _human_ swear words. I think we've both been negatively influencing one another."

"Speaking of which, isn't that why we're here now? I would have thought you would want to get to her as quickly as possible, not dally around trying to fix me up."

"Hell yes I do, Garrus," Alec shot. "But I'm not going to ignore it if my friends get hurt because I got them here in the first place."

"Thanks," the turian said awkwardly.

"Alright, princesses," Wrex barked. "Enough flirting. We have things to kill, people to save!"

Alec and Garrus shrugged and followed the already departing krogan towards the stairs, trying to make up for lost time.

* * *

The soldier manning the bottom of the stairs was facing the opposite direction as they descended. It was also a good thing that he was wearing white armor because Alec had reacted without fully comprehending the color of his wardrobe. Moving in from behind, Alec swept the man's leg out from under him, causing him to topple but Alec grabbed the man's neck in his arm as he fell. Wrenching his body, he felt the man's neck snap and heard the loud _pop_ as the nerve bundles were severed. This also had the unfortunate aftereffect of causing every other trooper in the room to look their way.

"Oh, fuck me," Alec groaned as he leapt to the side, barely dodging the bullets that smacked into the spot he had previously vacated, impacting into the dead soldier's corpse, spraying blood all over the floor.

Garrus and Wrex had crossed over to him, the former peeking his head out before the biting sound of bullets slamming into the wall caused him to jerk his head back.

"I count at least thirty!" Garrus yelled.

"At least thirty or could you be wrong?" Wrex barked back.

"I don't know! I was getting shot at!" Garrus looked at Alec, "You think stealth would have worked in this situation?"

"Bite me, Garrus," Alec yelled. "We can't go back the way we came, it will be too late at that point."

"Well, we can't stay _here_ or we'll get slaughtered!"

"Fine! I'll fix it!" Alec started to edge closer to the open area, where the troopers were lining their shots. He braced himself into a ready position, "Just cover my ass, okay?"

Garrus' eyes widened, "You…you're not going to…"

Alec launched himself out the door and hugged the closest wall, pistol blazing to life as he sprinted, trying to reach the nearest cover. Two men were hit by Alec's precise shots and several more ducked to avoid the crazy human running at them. Next to Garrus, Wrex laughed.

"Now it's a party!" Encouraged, the krogan also started running out but took the opposite wall to avoid the crossfire, his shotgun tearing into the first opponent.

"Son of a bitch!" Garrus shouted, but it was too late at this point. He took several deep breathes and sprinted out the door.

Garrus was immediately assaulted by a mass of dust and plastic as a grenade exploded a few meters away. Taking advantage of the cloud it produced, he ducked behind a ledge containing a garden of sorts and took out his rifle. Peering through the scope, he could see Alec wading into a crowd of troopers, sword slashing every which way, blood blossoming with every swing. Wrex was tackling another human, while simultaneously stomping on another, crushing both of their chests, causing massive internal damage. He picked out a few stragglers from the main force and squeezed the trigger, exhaling whenever he hit his mark.

Alec was up to his neck in blood. His entire suit of armor was splattered with the stuff, dripping down to the ground in waves. He was not sure if any of it was his. His machine gun clicked on empty, he had no spare clips. He staggered back as several bullets slammed against his body, absorbed by his shields, but a quick glance told him that he better duck into cover because they would soon collapse under this onslaught. Moving to the nearest position, he hefted his machine gun like a club and swung it like a baseball bat at the closest soldier he could reach. The rifle butt and the man's helmet both exploded in shards of plastic as they impacted, immediately dropping the man to the ground as blood oozed from the cracks in the helmet.

Alec's forearm was shaking from the impact and his shields were still in danger of failing. He needed to find cover now. Unfortunately, the only cover available in the area was being blocked by two more guys. In a stroke of luck, they both reached for their sides as they started to reload. Giving a primal roar, Alec rushed the nearest one, grabbing his arm and using his left hand to push the elbow of the soldier away from him, snapping it, causing a sliver of bone to protrude from the bodysuit. The man shrieked, incapacitated by the unspeakable pain while his partner stood there, frozen in fear. Alec lashed out with his right hand, catching the second square in the face with his fist, feeling the satisfying impact of the man's head against the helmet as he dropped to the floor. Alec pulled Garrus' knife from the arm sheath and bent down to cut both of their throats. He remembered the first time he had done the act, having made him sick because he had to kill a man for the first time. There wasn't any of that now, only rage.

Collapsing behind the wall, Alec looked over and was shocked to see Garrus and Wrex already there, the latter also covered in gore.

"What happened to him?" Alec panted.

Garrus stared, "I should ask the same of you, you idiot human. This one took a round to the neck, I'm busy patching him up now."

"It's just a scratch, Garrus," Wrex growled, but he looked visibly tired. "Just hurry up and patch me so I can get back into the fight."

"The wound's sealed, Wrex," Garrus assured. "But you're not going back out there. You're too weak and there are too many. They'll shoot you instantly."

"I'm down to just my pistol and knife anyway," Alec sighed. "What about you, Garrus?"

"I've got ten shots left in my rifle. Not enough for the occasion."

"Shit. I should've poached some clips from the bodies when I had the chance."

Garrus cocked his head, "Wait, where's your rifle?"

"Destroyed. Had to crack it over a guy's head."

"_Spirits_, Alec. You are a lunatic."

Alec laughed, "Not bad for a human, eh?"

"No…" Garrus mused. "Not bad at all. It was a good run, though. I'm…"

"Oh no, Garrus," Alec gaped. "Please don't tell me this is the moment..."

"If you're going to ruin this for me, I will hunt you down in the afterlife and-"

A roar whooshed over the trio in the middle of their argument. Alec and Garrus quieted over the roar of what could only be the engines of a shuttle. Peeking over the barrier, they could see that a blue C-Sec shuttle had landed behind the enemy lines and that the troopers were now firing in that direction. The shuttle proceeded to take off, but a barrage of bullets took out one of the engines and it spun down to the center of the station in flames.

The shuttle appeared to have accomplished its mission because whoever it dropped off was making good work of the remaining men. Even over the din, they could hear a single shot, clear as day, that could only come from a powerful sniper rifle. With each loud report, the overall sound of gunfire became a little quieter. Alec went prone and crawled to the nearest body, taking advantage of the distraction. Grabbing the dead man's pack and ignoring the stump of its head, he scurried back to where Garrus and Wrex lay. Opening the pack, he distributed the thermal clips evenly. Garrus immediately reloaded his rifle, Alec doing the same to his pistol. Wrex, groaning, rammed five into his shotgun and racked the slide back.

Another peek showed him that there were only ten individuals left that were left standing. Their savior was a crack shot to be able to have thinned the heard down to this number. All three of them raised themselves out of cover, each aimed at a body, and depressed their triggers. Three shots, three kills for Alec, two for Garrus, Wrex, and the mystery sniper. They slowly came out of their crouch so that they could behold their rescuer. A figure calmly walked from behind a wall, hefting a huge Black Widow sniper rifle.

"Lee-Human," a familiar voice toned. "We are ready to provide assistance."

"Legion!" Alec said in shock. "What the _hell_ are you doing here? I thought you were on Rannoch!"

The geth tilted its head in its version of a shrug, "We were rotating to the Citadel to procure items for the restoration of the Creator homeworld. We were in on the engineering dock when the heretics attacked. We defended the Creators as they fled to a safe distance but we detected you and your allies still aboard. Therefore, we are now on site, ready for orders."

"Legion, where's Tali? Where's my _wife_?"

"Creator Zorah is exactly one level below. Alert: she is surrounded by heretic forces and unable to act."

Alec breathed, "Fuck. How can we reach her?"

"There are three staircases that offer access to the lower level. All three are lightly guarded."

Garrus said, "I guess we took out the bulk of their forces on this level."

"Sure felt like it," Wrex grumbled.

"How many troops are there?" Alec continued.

"We have detected seventeen different signatures, eleven of which appear to have taken up positions of hostility."

"That has to be the Council," Garrus said. "Tali and the Council are down below us."

"Anything else about the terrain that we can use to our advantage?" Alec implored.

Legion immediately replied, "The shuttle bay's platforms jut out over the Presidium. Warning: the drop would be damaging for organics not equipped with proper propulsion systems." The geth stood as he delivered the news, position never changing even if the tone radically shifted.

"That's it!" Alec exclaimed. "Legion, you said _organic_, yes?"

"Uh oh" Garrus moaned, "What exactly are you thinking, Alec?"

Alec turned around, a sly smile on his face that was invisible beneath his helmet, "Stealth."


	13. Chapter 12: Stand Tall

Tali stared as the gun barrel wavered in her direction. She felt rooted to the floor, unable to speak, unable to do anything. She was completely helpless. Behind her, Veetor was shaking, as was the Council who had their hands nervously put up over their heads.

The man who had addressed her as the "target" stood only inches away from her. He was of average height, medium build, short dirty blond hair, but rather expressive eyes. Those eyes were narrowed as his mouth was set in a hard line, determination tensing each of his muscles.

"Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?" The man whispered.

This caught Tali completely off guard. She certainly was not expecting someone to be gunning for her, specifically. She thought they only wanted the Council.

"I…I…" She stammered, mouth incapable of forming a coherent sentence. Suddenly, she knew why they were here. Her actions, after all these years, had finally caught up to her. From that tiny blue planet on the edge of the galaxy, where it all started.

"Remember Daniel?" Silas snarled, his finger millimeters away from the trigger. He could see Derek, in the corner of his vision, move to the rear to cover the doors, Marcus following behind him. He stared deep into that purple visor, wishing that he could see her fear, to bask in the satisfaction when he would witness the light leaving her eyes.

Tali wilted, resigned to her fate. She knew it was no use trying to struggle. She could not think of anything else to do. Besides, she welcomed what was about to come. They may have taken the man she loved most in the galaxy away from her, but now they were going to provide her the means to see him again. If this was meant to hurt her, it could have been worse.

Just then, the salarian councilor walked forward, trying to draw Silas' tension away, "Human, drop that weapon now! Under the convention of the Citadel-"

The gun twitched in the councilor's direction and fired, making everyone jump. The salarian stood perfectly still and slowly glanced down, where a single hole was slowly leaking greenish blood. The councilor started shaking and collapsed from the shock.

"Goddess, no!" the asari councilor cried, rushing over to the salarian's aid. But it was no use, the frail body of the councilor could not take the punishment and he departed relatively painlessly. Several of the soldiers shouted in glee at the violence, some laughing manically.

"Get…up…bitch!" Silas growled, "Fucking get up!" The asari scrambled to her feet, whimpering as the barrel pointed at her. She quickly sidled back over to the main group, where there remained three councilors, Veetor, and Tali.

"No more distractions," the man said, turning back to Tali. "Your turn."

She closed her eyes. This was it. She eagerly anticipated meeting her lover…her husband…in the next life.

_I love you, Alec. I'm coming._

But nothing ever came. She still felt like she was alive, she was still standing in the same location. However, there was another noise. Instead of the boom she was expecting, there was a quick, soft sound, something sheathing followed by a spurting noise. That was odd. She opened her eyes a crack and immediately saw the cause for the delay.

A body was laying on the ground behind Silas, it belonged to Derek. The man's neck had been completely slit open from the front, blood pouring as he twitched on the ground, dying. Weirdly, she saw a trooper walk over and inspect the body, only to also fall as blood spurted out of an unseen wound in his chest. From the looks of it, something had impacted with the man's heart, cleaving it in half, and he expired before the first man bled out.

Marcus was now frozen in place, confused. Tali squinted her eyes, trying to discern the nature of the casualties. There was something in this room, something incorporeal? She could see the barest outline of a humanoid figure, but it looked like it was composed of heat waves that emanated from an open fire. The light was refracting through this figure as it moved, barely noticeable to the naked eye. She could only watch as the figure strode towards the still Marcus and waved what looked like its arm, and Marcus gasped, his throat slit to the bone, as he fell to join the others.

Silas and the rest of the troopers immediately pointed all of their weapons at the figure and opened fire. Because it was hard to discern where the figure began or ended, several of the bullets missed their mark entirely while a scant few impacted, only to be stopped by kinetic barriers that she saw were flaring. The firing stopped, everyone was out of ammo.

A laugh appeared to come out of nowhere as the figure stepped forward, deactivating the cloaking device that hid his body. This thing was nothing like she had ever seen. It was tall, heavily armed, and draped from top to bottom in shiny black armored plates that had an eerie, red glow. The helmet looked sinister and she could see that, from the contours of the body, that the person inside was human. But who-?

The man slowly raised a pistol after sheathing the long, turian knife on his arm. In its grating voice, the armored monstrosity spoke.

"Get the _fuck_ away from my wife."

Nothing else resonated with her in that moment. Tali stared, speechless at the words the man uttered. Something was rising in her chest, too large for her to contain. Her eyes widened as she finally comprehended the meaning of the sentence.

_Wife? Is it really…_

"ALEC!" She screamed, causing several troopers to turn back to her. The armored man squeezed his trigger twice, sending two bodies crashing down in a mass of molten plastic as the incendiary rounds burned through their body armor. Silas cursed and scrambled behind a nearby pillar as bullets sparked all around him. Tali could see that from opposite ends of the room, a familiar looking turian as well as a krogan were converging on Alec's position, providing ample covering fire. She then heard a thump near where the landing platform was and she saw Legion, sniper rifle toting, whisking the councilors and Veetor to safety while it covered them.

Suddenly, she felt herself yanked from the ground as a pistol was simultaneously shoved into the side of her helmet, an arm around her chest, preventing movement.

"_Wife_?" Yousef asked incredulously, "You…_fucked_ this man?"

Gritting her teeth, she slowly brought her leg up so that she could unsheathe the knife she always had in her boot. Without him noticing, she swung her arm up and around until she heard a satisfying _shuck_ as it impacted in Yousef's neck. Extracting himself from his weak grip, she turned around to look into his surprised face as she simultaneously appropriated his pistol.

"I lost count how many times after the first week," she hissed, shoving him down to the ground with her foot. Not content to simply let him bleed out, she fired two shots into the man's head, splattering her with red.

She started backing away until she felt her back hit something solid. She turned around, pistol at the ready, only to quickly lower it as she saw that she was next to the black figure that saved her. A knight in shining armor.

"Alec?" She whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

"Focus, Tali," The man said, unceremoniously picking her up to get her out of the line of fire, an arm wrapped around her waist. She felt the impacts the bullets made with his body but he still stood, shields taking most of the impact. He glanced down to see a visor with a shining pair of eyes looking right at him. Despite the inherent danger, he reached up to briefly thumb the control to his helmet and it parted slightly, exposing his face to her, proving that she wasn't dreaming.

"I _did_ promise that I would never leave you."

Tali giggled, in spite of herself, "You always had a flair for the dramatic."

Alec turned to eliminate the solider who had been trying to shoot him earlier, extending his arm to level the target in his sights. He depressed the trigger once but was surprised when he saw two spurts of blood come from the man. He glanced down to see that Tali had also pointed her gun in the exact same way, even as he continued to hold her across the chest.

"All right!" Garrus called from across the room, "You can stop being adorable now and help us out here."

Alec nodded, helmet folding back into place, "Tali, stay with the councilors. Legion will be with you, you'll be safe."

She shook her head vehemently, bullets still whizzing past, "The hell I'm not, you _bosh'tet_! I'm not letting you out of my sight after I thought you were gone all this time. You're not-"

"Tali, listen to me," Alec said sternly. "I came this far to get to you. I will come back from this. I just will feel a lot better if I know that you're going to be out of danger. Please. I will finish this and I will return to you."

She paused, uncertain of what to do. A distant explosion snapped her back to reality. "All right," she said. "But you better come back to me."

"Always."

Tali ran from behind the pillar they were using as cover, heading toward the tall form of the geth in the corner, sniper rifle booming. Alec was following at a safe distance behind her, pausing to shoot his pistol in the direction of Silas, who was still cowering behind his own column. Alec now had a clear line at the bastard; he raised his arm but stopped when he noticed his HUD read "0" on his ammo counter.

_Not here. Not now._

He scrambled for a spare clip on his waist, desperate to seize the window of opportunity before it was lost. But, Silas suddenly stood, shouting as he brought his rifle up as he aimed down the sights. But he completely ignored Alec as he swung around to catch the purple form that was feet away from cover. He jubilantly pressed the trigger as Alec could only watch in horror.

Before the bullets had a chance to inflict damage on the quarian, a grey form suddenly stepped in the way, taking every one of the bullets that had been met for her. Silas' rifle clicked as the heat sink dissipated, useless after the barrage. Tali tripped and fell as she saw a familiar form fall to the ground. She screamed, sparks flying around her, as she scrambled to the body. Legion's glowing eye was rapidly fading, white fluid coursing through dozens of holes in its body.

She dimly heard Alec bellow in rage and she saw that he charged Silas, who was dumbstruck at the maneuver, standing in place. Alec made impact with a _crack_ which propelled them both through the glass guardrail at the edge of the platform, sending them down to the next level. Oddly enough, she was not worried about Alec at the moment. She hovered over Legion, not knowing how to save him.

"C-C-Cre-re-ator Zorah," the geth struggled. "A-Are you a-a-all rrrrrriiiiiigggggghhhhhttt….."

"No!" She cried, frustrated at her helplessness, "Legion! Please Legion, don't go!"

Legion's eye flared briefly, then darkened, its body lay motionless. Tali was sobbing as she activated her omni-tool, desperate to revive the geth that had saved her life. She scanned for operational processes in range that she could hack. Her display came back with nothing. She cried as she cradled the body of the geth, the irony not lost on her. She could hear someone calling her name, but she felt too tired to respond. She only wanted to stay here, was that so wrong?

"Tali!" Garrus yelled, kneeling by her side, "We have to go, there could be more coming!"

"Garrus?" She mumbled, "I'm glad you're okay…I just…can you leave me here for a while? I…I just want to stay with it…with _him_." She gestured to the geth that she held in her arms.

Garrus pulled her to her feet while bending to drape the geth over his shoulders, "Tali. We need to go. We need to get to Alec!"

She spoke slowly, as if in a daze, "Alec…he climbed out of hell to get to me. He'll be just fine." But she followed Garrus as he ran down the hall, rushing to reach the nearest staircase to help their friend.

* * *

Alec and Silas tumbled down the slope, banging into protruding, moss covered balconies as they slid. Suddenly, the surface just dropped off and both men fell heavily to the floor below. Alec yelled in pain as he landed on his side, Silas on his front. Alec breathed heavily in and out through his nose, trying to get his wind back. He staggered to his feet as Silas gazed at him right back. They were upon another balcony that jutted above the lake of the Presidium. Vegetation grew from tiny plots around them, they were near a restaurant, judging by the few tables that were stationed next to them. They both stood like this, clutching their bodies, making sure nothing was broken. They did not make a move for their weapons; each was studying the other, looking for a weakness of some kind.

Alec broke the silence, "You look like him."

Silas frowned, "You saw him last. You would know better than anyone."

"They you should know that there was no choice. Daniel needed to be put down."

"But did you imagine the consequences of such an act?" Silas yelled, "Did you not stop to think that someone would hurt you for taking their father away from them?"

"Your _father_," Alec spat. "Was an insane, racist, piece of shit that had no right doing what he did. I'm not sorry he's gone. So you had daddy issues, big fucking deal. Was it worth it trying to kill me, to kill her?"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Silas yelled, "You may have killed a man that made many mistakes in life but you are not just going to walk free having accomplished murder!"

"Self-defense, asshole. How did you even get this many people to join you?" Alec chuckled, "I'm betting you never mentioned the part about your deadbeat dad, you wouldn't have had as many new hires."

"They didn't need to know. They thought they would be completing a purge of alien filth."

"Ah, the plot thickens. Misleading your loyal followers, that takes balls."

"It was necessary. I needed an army."

"To kill me and my wife? Should I be flattered?"

Silas paused, "So, it is true. You actually married the quarian?"

"Yes I did," Alec said confidently. "I'm assuming you have a problem with it otherwise we wouldn't be here."

Silas turned his head a fraction to the side before saying in a softer voice, "Not with that…" He then straightened up to look back at Alec, "It doesn't matter. We're wasting time. I will kill you here and after I'm done, I will pay a visit to your little slut of a wife."

"'Slut' implies the fact that she has been with other men, dickhead," Alec snorted. "I can attest to the fact that she hasn't." They were still looking at each other, Alec's expression unreadable through his helmet. He wanted it that way. No reason to give Silas the satisfaction. A thought quickly came to his mind.

"Before we start, I want to know one thing."

"What?" Silas growled.

"Who was it? Who told you where I was? Where she was? I know you couldn't have found this information out by yourself because it was never made available to the public. And I know every human who has access to that information. I'm a C-Sec officer, remember?"

Silas only grinned, "I'm regret to inform you…despite my shaky involvement with the man, I'd rather not say."

"Not making it easy, are you?"

"It wouldn't be as fun."

"So, is that the extent of a confession I'm going to get out of you?"

Silas nodded, "I'm afraid so."

Alec huffed inside his helmet. He believed that Silas wouldn't crack under a hasty interrogation. The thought of even leaving him alive in time for an interrogation was not even listed among his options at this point. He would have to work the issue out regarding the informant when the time came, but for now, he could end this chapter right here and now.

Alec slowly plucked two incendiary grenades from his belt. Silas stiffened at the sight, waiting for him to make the next move. However, after pulling the pins, Alec rolled them behind him where they both _whooshed_ in a gout of flame and heat, blocking the exit off the balcony where they stood. Alec did not turn to look at the inferno brewing behind him, he still was only focused on Silas.

"No way in, and no way out," Alec growled. "It wouldn't be as fun otherwise."

"Very well," Silas twitched his arm and an omni-sword of his own blazed to life, extending past his arm to terminate a foot away from his hand. "Remove your helmet so that I can look at you while you die."

Alec laughed loudly, the sound carrying throughout the station, "What…so that we can be equal in terms of protection? This isn't the movies, you stupid fuck. I'm keeping my helmet on my head, thank you. I'm not going to throw away a necessary item that could mean the difference between life and death just so that I can battle on equal footing." Alec extended his own sword as he spoke, "'Honor' has nothing to do with it and it is a concept that is completely inconsequential. What is certain is one thing."

"And what's that?"

Alec lowered his stance, "That I'm going to beat the _shit_ out of you."

He charged, sword trailing behind him. Two seconds later, he had closed the gap to Silas and swung, but Silas raised his own arm and the omni-swords clashed, sparks producing from the point of contact. Alec gave a shove and Silas jumped back. Raising his arm again, Alec swung but Silas parried blow. Smiling beneath his helmet, Alec advanced, sword in a defensive position.

Silas sent a series of quick thrusts to Alec's torso, which he easily blocked. The man lunged for his side and Alec batted the sword away easily. With his other hand, he drove it into Silas' gut, causing him to expel his breath in the sudden pain. Silas scrambled away, trying to get out of Alec's reach. He simply waited for him to catch his breath before advancing. Alec wanted to take his time tearing him apart.

Trying a different tactic, Silas swung to Alec's left but he activated his arm shield and the sword simply bounced off. The man looked stunned at this new development and Alec took the opportunity to smash his fist in the side of his face. The blow was meant to be an insulting one and Silas turned away, blood dripping from his mouth, eyes murderous with hate.

Grinning, Alec said, "That all you got, you little cunt?"

Silas spat out the blood filling his mouth and charged. But rather than attempt a straightforward attack, he propelled himself up in the air to kick with his foot. Alec barely moved aside in time but the blow caused his pistol to become unhooked from its magnetic holster, clattering away on the white tile. Grunting in surprise, he aimed a lunge at the small of Silas' back as he landed, but he spun and dodged, sweeping his sword in a cut to the face. Alec barely blocked the blow in time with his shield, trailing back a step to find a better position.

He was slow on the uptake as Silas ran up to face him, sword held high. But as Silas brought it down and Alec threw his arm up to counter, the man produced a knife from his side and drove it into an unarmored portion in the side of Alec's body. The pain was excruciating, he roared in the presence of it. Acting quickly, he triggered the adrenaline injection embedded in the suit. As the drug flooded his veins, the pain noticeably lessened, time starting to slow for him. The adrenaline was also distorting his vision, everything was taking on a hazy orange glow, Silas' features were magnified before him, his face altering every second. It was an odd experience. But he was still incapacitated by the knife. He needed to get free.

Deactivating his sword, he reached out to grab Silas' head that was staring at him while he held the knife. Silas' eyes widened, just now realizing what Alec was about to do. With all his might, Alec threw the man's head forward as he thrust his helmeted head out, smashing Silas' nose against the front in an intense headbutt. Silas' nose imploded, blood streaked across Alec's faceplate, partially obscuring his vision. Silas screamed as he let go of the knife, Alec kicked him away.

Having cleared the man's reach and still under the influence of adrenaline, Alec reached down and grasped the knife and yanked it from his body, wincing at the slight pain. A hissing noise told him that the suit's medi-gel dispenser was already working to seal the wound and that there would not be any more trouble from that area for the rest of the fight. One more scar to add to the collection.

Shaking his head, Alec decided that enough was enough. This was getting a little too serious. It was time to end this. He started forward, sword cautiously held forward. Silas lifted his head, his smashed nose completely covering his front with blood, leaving a trail everywhere he walked. He moaned at the sight of the armored figure stalking towards him, but he reactivated his sword, nonetheless.

Swinging, Silas tried to push Alec back but his attacks were getting to be on the sloppy side that Alec blocked each one effortlessly. Alec bided his time, waiting for an opening that Silas would inevitably provide when his rage exhausted him. He tried to get him to tire early by chopping his arm in downward strokes, making each blow reverberate off the other man, causing him to stumble backwards. Seeing his chance, Alec ducked a nasty blow and lashed out in a swing that Silas moved his head back from. He may have moved, but Alec still felt a little resistance from his arm as he came out of the swing. Did he hit him?

He turned around in a crouch, sword out in front and stared at his handiwork. The man in front of him was now looking a lot worse for the wear. Silas' right cheek flapped down over his jaw, the tip of the sword had entered his mouth and come out the other side when he had swung. Alec could see the right side of his jaw and inside his mouth. It was a rather disgusting sight. Silas was now sounding in a combination of a gurgle and a scream as he writhed in pain. His entire right side of his body was now completely red, the man had probably lost at least a third of his blood at this point.

Screeching incoherently, Silas abruptly sprinted toward Alec, who was unprepared for such a move, and tackled him to the ground. Silas straddled his body as he rained blow after blow on his helmet. Alec yelled with each impact. His visor was starting to crack, with each blow a part of his HUD disappeared, failing as the physical abuse continued. Blood and drool dripped down on his visor as Silas, still screaming, continued to pummel his face.

A blow by his ear caused him to lose all power in the helmet entirely, everything went dark. Blind, he reached out with both arms to grasp something he could use as a weapon. He was starting to panic. Silas was starting to hammer fist his head, he could hear a sharp cracking sound. The visor was about to give. Suddenly, he felt something in his right hand. What was it? He _reached_ and the object slid into his grasp.

_The pistol._

Thanking whatever god had smiled upon him that day, he brought his arm around to aim at the mass situated on his chest. He couldn't see where the target was, but he had an idea where to fire. He heard a clicking noise as he fumbled the gun in his grip, signifying that the type of ammo had just been switched. To which one, he had no idea but he instantly brought it up under what he assumed was Silas' chin and fired.

A weight lifted off his body, the blows receded. Alec coughed and choked as air flooded his lungs. An overrated commodity, he surmised. He shakily got to his feet, but not before removing the now ruined helmet that did nothing but impede his vision at the moment.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to see that Silas was not quite dead. He was situated on his knees, but he was still coherent, albeit only just.

Alec, shocked at what he saw, glanced down at the pistol that he still held. He saw that it was glowing a cool blue, a type of ammo he never had the occasion to use. He had used incendiary ammunition, armor-piercing ammunition, and even disruptor ammunition in prior situations. This...was something different.

The cryo burst had frozen the left side of Silas' face completely solid. It was a horrid mask while the other half wheezed horribly out of the ruined mouth. The skin was cracked and pale, the ice permanently latched. His one unfrozen eye was staring straight out into space, unfocused, until Alec walked into view. It slowly moved up to gaze on Alec's face for the first time and his body shifted, as if he knew what was coming.

Alec breathed in and out before steeling himself, "You should have realized that even if I fall, I'm only going to get right back up."

He then cocked his right arm and threw all his weight behind it in a ferocious haymaker. The fist impacted on Silas' frozen cheekbone, which collapsed, allowing Alec to continue to project his momentum all the way through. Alec flinched at the spray of ice and frozen blood but continued to follow through, his fist reaching its terminus midway through Silas' head. He quickly extracted it and shook the spongy matter off before what was left of the head clattered to the floor in a sea of shattered bones and brain.

Alec staggered and walked away from Silas' body. He needed to find a place to sit. Ignoring the still roaring flames from the incendiary grenades, he simply walked right through them, fireproof bodysuit protecting his vital organs. Once through, he spied a bench next to the side of a popular turian restaurant. He collapsed onto it, breath escaping in relief as his body relaxed.

He placed his hands over his chest in contemplation. He was in no hurry to go anywhere. He was free, now and forever. There would be plenty of time in the future to catch up.

_It's over. It's all over._

There were sounds that he could hear over the soft crackle of the flames. He considered calling out to them but was too tired to even raise his voice. He glanced down and saw that his side was red, the knife wound was apparently too much for the medi-gel and had breached his bodysuit. In spite of this, he felt rather calm, like he knew what was going to happen. Everything was going to turn out for the better, it always had and always will.

He closed his eyes for what felt like a brief second before he opened them again. Lights were now moving past his face. What was going on? Was he dreaming? He could feel the sensation of motion, a car perhaps? Was he back on Earth?

Confused, he glanced to his sides. Paramedics, turian. He was on a stretcher. He blinked at this development. He was in a hospital, but was-

Tali's purple form suddenly appeared over the side. He felt her arms around his body as she hugged him. He could hear her lovely voice pierce the fog he was lost in. He squeezed her arm in reassurance.

"This looks familiar…" he managed before he could see only black.


	14. Chapter 13: Shatter

Alec's eyes fluttered open. He blinked several times to get rid of the blur that fogged his vision. Groaning slightly, he sat himself up to get his bearings.

He was lying in a bed with only a thin sheet covering him, situated in a room that was completely unfamiliar to him. The room was bare except for a countertop across from him and a chair seated by a large window. What intrigued him most about the chair was the person sitting in it.

Tali's head was lolled to the side, her arms acting as a pillow on the armrest as she dozed. Alec blinked. How long had she been here? Where was he? He currently felt fine but the events of the last day suddenly caught up to him. His hands reached down and pulled up the shirt that he was wearing, looking down at his side. He breathed out in relief when he saw a single bandage covering the wound from Silas' knife. It did not seem to be all that bad. He brought his hands to his face and gingerly prodded it. He could feel no sensitive areas from all the punishment he endured. They must have used a hell of a lot of medi-gel on him.

Throwing the sheet aside, Alec slowly lowered his feet to the ground. He grunted slightly as a slight pain from his side coursed up his body. Alec breathed in and out through his nose, evidently he wasn't fully healed yet. As the discomfort subsided, he lurched to his feet and slowly walked over to the large chair. Reaching it, he sat himself down beside the lithe form already occupying it. Trying to be as careful as possible, he reached over and repositioned Tali's body so that it was draped over his own. She sighed in his arms, relaxing in the new position.

Alec smiled up at the ceiling. He had done it. No matter what the galaxy had thrown his way, he had beaten it all. He was here now, with the one person he cared about the most. The one who had been the catalyst for his determination, his fight to survive. They were both alive and Alec would treasure this moment.

Tali started to stir after an hour had passed, her body slowly flexing. Groggy, she lifted her head slightly to take in the light of the morning, but she was still looking in the direction of the bed when she awoke. Alarmed, she raised her head, looking for the human who had been occupying the bed when she last saw him. Finally realizing where she was, she turned to see a grinning face staring back at her. Tali noticed that she had been lying atop his body all this time.

"Hello, baby," Alec smiled, warmth exuding from his presence.

Tali only could hug her husband tightly at seeing him again, causing him to wince as she applied pressure to his wound.

"Agh!...careful…" Alec choked.

"I'm so sorry!" Tali said in a mixture of a laugh and a sob, "Oh, Alec. What are you doing out of bed? The doctors said-"

"I don't care what the doctors said. You looked too lonely over on your chair so I decided to remedy that."

"But…" she protested, "You're hurt."

"I'm mended, Tali," Alec laughed in reassurance, even if it wasn't particularly working. She was always caring about others before herself. That was one trait which he loved about her, even if he did tell her to be selfish every once in a while. "I'll be just fine once I get back home."

"You are in no way-" she started but stopped, contemplating what words would be exchanged next. "You're not going to listen to me, are you?"

"Not in this case. If I never see a hospital again in my life it will be too soon."

Tali gave a tiny laugh, "Then maybe it's a good thing that I brought a change of clothes in case this might happen." She indicated a small bag on the floor, where on top Alec could see a familiar leather jacket. Getting up, he quickly shed his flimsy clothes, modesty pushed aside, and donned the articles that Tali had brought. He sighed in relief as the familiar sensations all came back to him. Blue jeans, a T-shirt, and his trusty jacket. He felt better already.

Alec frowned as he addressed his wife, "I…I want to apologize to you, Tali."

She jolted, confused, "How come? If anything, I should be apologizing to _you_. I should have done more…I-I should have gone after you to find you…I…I gave up on you too quickly. I don't deserve your apologies."

"Stop," Alec held up a hand, kneeling down. "Please, stop. You are not shifting the blame to yourself this time, okay?"

Tali, stunned, could only nod as Alec continued, "I should have listened to you in the first place. I never should have gone onto that ship. I wish I could have gotten back here sooner to rescue you. There would never have been so many deaths." Alec sucked in a breath before continuing, "I took too long, Tali. People are dead because I failed…the councilor…and Legion. Oh god…._Legion_…"

Alec sunk to the floor, comprehending his words. He was paralyzed with emotion, he could not speak clearly, "It…_he_…was alive…I know it. And…and it's because of _me_…that he's gone…I didn't…I couldn't…"

Tali slid off the chair to bring his head to her chest. She stroked his hair, calming him. Her visor rested atop his head in a comforting position. "Shh," she whispered. "None of this was your fault. You did nothing wrong."

Alec's eyes were shining but he didn't cry. He relaxed in the familiar grip of the quarian, embracing the rocking motions she was making as they mourned together. She patted his hair down, "You are the best man I've ever known. I am so lucky to have gotten to know you. We've come a long way, you and I." She continued to stroke his cheek as she whispered to him, reassuring him.

Alec knew exactly what to say, through his blurry eyes, "_Keelah se'lai_, Tali'Zorah."

* * *

The door to the apartment slid open, beckoning Alec and Tali inside. Upon entering, he immediately noticed that his Terminus armor was laying in pieces on the bed, including the guns and knives.

"Huh," Alec stated. "I wondered where that went."

"Garrus offered to cart it back for me," Tali explained. "I wouldn't leave your side and he had to file a report stating that you two were still alive and didn't list yourself as 'dead' just to dodge taxes."

"You're kidding right? About the tax dodging part?"

"I couldn't make this stuff up."

Alec shook his head in disbelief, "Unbelievable."

Tali raised her head, "Oh, by the way. The Council left a message for you. They want to meet with you, Garrus, and the krogan in the afternoon."

He paused, "That sounds ominous. It might get pretty interesting." He walked over to the bed and picked up the gauntlets to his armor. He quickly pulled them on, under his jacket, checking his omni-tool to see if they were still functional. His pistol he returned to its holster at his side. Watching, Tali shifted from foot to foot nervously.

"Err…Alec. Are you expecting someone?"

He sighed. He had forgotten to mention the specifics of his encounter with Silas with her, "I think…there might be an informant running loose." He saw Tali cock her head at the words, "It's how they found us so quickly. Someone fed those men information on where we were."

"Are…are you sure that someone told them or they figured it out by themselves?"

"No. The timing was too perfect. They knew what ship I was on when I departed the Citadel, on an unlisted flight. They had an idea where you would be on the Citadel, coincidentally picking the same general are on which to concentrate their troops." He turned back to face her after he was done checking everything, "But the leader confirmed that there was one when I spoke to him."

"Don't you think he was lying to you? Trying to slip you up?"

Alec mused, "I'm not so sure. He gave details as that the person was male and that they did not have a good history together. Those are facts that are hard to make up on the fly." He touched his face as he remembered, starting to walk toward the bathroom, "I need a mirror. I want to make sure that my face is still handsome. Don't worry, Tali. We'll continue this in a second. I just want to be ready."

Watching her nod, he slipped into the tight room and looked at his reflection. There were some slight bruises on his forehead and cheekbones. He noted that he had not broken his nose or that anything was remotely out of place. Another day's dosage of medi-gel and he would be good as new. He readjusted his jacked to cover the gauntlets that were protruding out of the material. He was going to need a bigger coat if he wanted to pull this off.

He heard a knock on the main door from inside the room. Was that Garrus? He'd better finish up in here. He could already hear Tali open it and exchange a greeting with whoever it was. He splashed water on his face, trying to make himself look reasonably presentable to their visitor. Then it all started to go wrong.

He heard a shriek from outside that could only have come from Tali. _The informant_. He swore, smashed through the bathroom door without waiting for it to fully open, drew his pistol and came face to face with an unexpected sight.

Veetor held Tali in an armlock around the neck. She was weaponless, having no time to even draw anything. Alec saw that in the man's right hand, was a knife held up to the small of her back. Alec's pistol wavered, what the hell was going on?

"Veetor…" Alec said. "What the _fuck_?"

"Don't move, Alec," Veetor cautioned. "Don't move or this won't end well for her."

"Veetor," Tali said in a strangled voice. "What are you _doing_?"

Alec snarled, he could not risk shooting Veetor without hitting Tali. And Veetor stood with his back to the door, blocking the exit, his escape path open, "Put down the gun, Veetor, and-"

"And what? You'll shoot me? Just like Silas?" The quarian was on edge, "He assured me that everything would be taken care of, but no. You're still here, and she almost died!" He gestured to the woman he held in his grip.

"What are you talking about?" Alec shouted, completely flabbergasted.

"Isn't it obvious?" Veetor roared, "It was supposed to be just you. I only wanted you out of the way. But that _bosh'tet_ had another agenda. He told me he would leave her alone and he lied. He would have killed me, I reckon, if you hadn't shown up."

"I still haven't heard a 'thank you,'" Alec growled.

"Go to hell," Veetor spat. "It was always supposed to be me and her. You never factored into the equation."

"Veetor," Tali pleaded. "Don't do this….he….he doesn't know…"

"Shut up!" Veetor shouted, voice starting to crack.

"Know what?" Alec implored, stepping forward "What am I missing here?"

"Stay back," Veetor said, knife at the ready. "If I can't have her, then no one can. I'll live with the consequences."

"Alec," Tali said calmly. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"You're not well, Veetor," Alec said. "Put the knife down. We can help you."

Veetor made a tiny, strangled sound before slowly gazing around the room, stopping at the human holding the gun in the center, "I'm sorry, Alec…but you can't."

"Alec? Tali?" A multi-toned voice burst through, "What's going on here?"

Veetor whirled to the entrance of the apartment, thrusting his right arm out, the one holding the knife to activate his omni-tool and shot a burst of light out from it.

Garrus shouted as he staggered backward, shields overloading and sparking. In that instance, Tali made a quick motion with her arm as a _shink_ was heard and a sliver of silver protruded from a slot in her arm. _Her elbow knife_. Jerking her arm backward, she made contact, piercing Veetor's suit just below his ribs. Veetor screamed and let go of Tali, backpedaling away from her fleeing person.

Alec opened fire but he was too stunned to have aimed properly, the first shot going high. He corrected and fired once more, but the bullet just passed under the quarian's arm as he reached for something on the nearby table and fled out the open door. Alec followed up with a couple more shots but they missed as well. Ignoring Veetor, he moved over to Tali, seeing Garrus poke his head back in, unhurt.

"Tali! Are you okay?"

She put his hands on his shoulders, "I'm fine, Alec. I told you I would be."

Alec shook his head, "I never saw Veetor coming…I had no idea…"

"There's still time," she said. "Catch him."

He paused but started to back away at her words, "I love you, Tali. Know that." He turned towards Garrus, "Watch out for her, will you?"

"Will do, you lunatic," Garrus smirked.

Running out the door, Alec swiveled in all directions, desperate to catch a glimpse of a periwinkle visor or a burnt red hood moving at high speed. He was rewarded when he saw a figure in the crowd slide by at a pace faster than the crowd to his right. Going instantly into a sprint, Alec barreled through the crowd, not caring if he knocked anyone over to catch the man. He hung a right and propelled himself up the nearest flight of stairs. They were now on the next level of the apartment complex. There was no access to any of the shops here so there was no crowd. He could discern Veetor's form easily as he saw him kick open an apartment door in a hasty escape maneuver. There was nowhere to run. He was out of options.

He reached the door and opened it wide, following the quarian inside. The current tenant was not at home, they were the only occupants. Veetor did not have his omni-tool drawn, as Alec had originally feared when he entered the living room, but now he could tell what exactly Veetor had grabbed when he ran out of his apartment.

The shining quarian sword, still gleaming like new, was held comfortably in Veetor's grip, directed in an aggressive stance. Alec approached cautiously, not wanting to set the man off.

"Veetor? Put the sword down and let's talk."

Veetor shook his head, voice trembling, "Why did she have to meet _you_? What did you have that I didn't?"

Alec gaped as he finally understood Veetor's rationale, "You sold me out…because I fell in love with her?"

"She fell in love with _an alien_! A filthy animal that slaughters my people in some sadistic rite of passage! And still, she chose you. When it could have been _me_…"

"She was gone five years, Veetor! People change in that amount of time."

"How was I supposed to know? I loved her from the day we met…but she could never see it. She never responded to me. And when I find out that she's returned, after those five years, she's gone and chosen a _human_ for a lover?" Roaring, Veetor lifted the sword and charged at Alec, who activated his shields on both arms just in time to block the blow and sidestep away. "It should have been ME!"

Alec ducked underneath a vicious swing, throwing his arm to the side to counter the follow-up. "So, you decided to have me killed so that you could pursue her again?" Alec breathed, "Is that right?"

Veetor hefted the sword for another attack, "I was led to believe that Silas could carry out the job. The Shadow Broker pointed me in the right direction for that." Veetor swung the sword from side to side, but Alec, refusing to take out his own weapon, continued to defend himself as blows rained down upon his arm shields.

"Did you actually think that would work?" Alec yelled.

"When they were finally ready, it was too late," Veetor said savagely. "She went and married you; I was out of the picture from that point." Veetor lunged towards Alec's chest which he dodged and responded with a chop to the quarian's neck. Veetor gagged and backed off, startled at this show of violence.

"'Comfort the grieving widow,'" Alec sighed. "Your backup plan?"

"She…started to take notice of me…a bit more," Veetor sputtered. "But all she could see was you. _You_. Repugnant creature that you are." His wind gained, Veetor began to advance again in the confined space of the room. Alec looked down at Veetor and saw that Tali's knife had punctured his suit badly, sticky, red blood was bubbling down the quarian's side.

"You're injured, Veetor," Alec warned. "Stop this now and we can save you."

"Stop acting like you care!" Veetor screamed and sliced the blade in a diagonal line. Alec batted the sword away, exhibiting more power in his arm and punched the quarian in the chest with his free hand, taking advantage of the wide opening. There was a hissing noise as his fist impacted but it didn't come from Veetor's voice modulator. It was coming from the fresh leak in his suit that his blow had caused.

Veetor coughed, stumbling a bit, trying to ascertain the situation. Alec, however, was on him again, planting a series of blows on Veetor, trying to make him submit. The quarian tried to bring the sword to bear but Alec knocked it out of his hand. Veetor tried to scramble away but a stray fist hooked around one of the hoses connected to the back of his helmet and he heard a tearing sound, followed by a more intense hiss. Veetor glanced in horror to see a stray breathing tube hanging over his shoulder, leaking sterile atmosphere.

"Just stop right now, Veetor," Alec pleaded. "She wouldn't want it like this."

"She doesn't give a damn what happens to me!"

"Tali cares about you, Veetor. I don't want to fight you, we can still make this right."

Veetor bent to pick up the sword, his movements slow and deliberate. He relaxed his body in a submissive state, "It…will never be right." Grasping the sword in a two-handed grip, Veetor stalked forward to lay a forward strike followed by a backswing. Anticipating every move, Alec dodged both blows and brought his fist down like a hammer on top of Veetor's visor, cracking it and sending the man sprawling to the ground."

"Stop it," Alec said.

Veetor sprung to his feet, anger overriding every instinct and charged. Alec blocked the sword with his arm shield and punched the quarian's chest, feeling bones give. Another hiss, another breach.

"Stop it."

Veetor was now snarling, sword held high to rain down a heavy blow. Alec leapt forward to grab both of his arms before he could strike. They were now face to face, fighting for control of the sword. Veetor was operating on pure adrenaline, his body was winning. The sword was starting to tip towards Alec's head. Alec closed his eyes, dreading the next moment as he twisted his arms, hearing a loud _crack_ as Veetor's wrist shattered. The sword fell to the ground, harmless, where it would never be picked up.

Veetor gasped as he clutched his arm but the look in his eyes through the visor was comprised of pure malice, emphasized as he rose his arm, omni-tool activated, to deliver an electrified burst towards Alec. Alec ran forward before he could be put in the quarian's sights.

"STOP IT!" Alec screamed, throwing his fist forward and Veetor's visor shattered, showering the carpeted floor with treated glass. The quarian fell to the floor, convulsing as his immune system finally was overwhelmed by the foreign substances in the air. Alec turned Veetor over so that he was lying on his back. He could see the man's face, his mouth was gasping in pain, his small nose was expanding and contracting in the presence of the air, his blue eyes were dilated as he was succumbing to his body, and strands of his silver hair was streaming down his forehead, tussled from the fight.

A tear ran down his grey cheek, "Alec…" he whispered, "Please….help me…."

Alec froze, unsure of what to do. Should he try and help him, save the man who had plotted his murder? And hers? Or should he just stay here and wait until the quarian died from an infection. No one had to know the details. He admitted to himself that it would be satisfying to see the man expire painfully, as punishment for all the hurt he brought to Alec and his wife. Surely this sufficed as retribution to refuse this man, this monster, and ignore whatever pleas came out of his mouth.

Alec's mouth was set in a hard line as he considered the matter. A light came to him in the fog, he softened at the truth.

_Tali would help him._

Alec swallowed, feeling guilty for not having acted earlier, "Okay, Veetor. Just…sit tight. I'll be back for you soon." With that, Alec ran out the door and hurtled down the staircase. Reaching the main concourse, he wheeled around and made it back to his apartment in ten seconds. Reaching the door, he hammered on it, shouting to be let in.

Garrus opened up, "Is it over?"

"Almost," Alec panted. "Moving into the bathroom, Alec kicked open the counter drawers, rummaging around for the necessary item.

"Alec?" Tali called from the other room. "What happened?"

"Where's the med kit?" Alec shouted.

"Left counter, back corner," came the response. "Are you all right? Where's Veetor?"

"I'm fine…" Alec said. "Veetor...he's upstairs." He finally found the red case tucked in the back and hauled it out. Tali was standing in the doorway, anxious. He beckoned to her to follow him out the door, "Come on, he doesn't have much time."

Garrus and Tali followed Alec back down the path he had just traversed, running down the hallway with their heart in their throats. When they reached the apartment building, Alec ran into the living room, still clutching the medical kit.

"Veetor? Are you…" He trailed off as he saw the quarian's crumpled body. It was lying still, not moving. Alec dropped the kit as he knelt to check for a pulse. He couldn't find anything. He started to shake as he moved a hand over Veetor's eyes, closing them. Tali gasped as she saw her former friend, lying on the carpeted floor.

Alec started weeping. _Why_? Why did fate choose to be so cruel? Why did this have to happen? Alec let out a long, loud shout as he screamed his frustration to the heavens.

"God…god _damn_ it…" Alec sobbed.

Resting on his shoulder, Tali also cried at the fate of Veetor, with Garrus standing solemnly in the corner. None of them said a word in light of the tragic situation.

* * *

"We feel that it is best to inform you that, as of two hours ago, Veetor'Nara vas Rannoch has been posthumously exiled from the fleet." The quarian councilor stood in her usual spot in the Council chambers, her voice cold and unflinching. "I, in particular, am shocked that one of our own people could have orchestrated such a massacre."

"It wasn't just him, Councilor," Alec said, standing on the platform before the Council. Tali, Garrus, and Wrex right behind him. "The leader of the human resistance, Silas, was operating under his own terms as well. The original arrangement was just for me."

The turian councilor nodded, "Regardless, his actions have caused shame and humiliation to the quarian people and his punishment was rendered unanimously."

Alec sighed, "I would have to imagine that humans are going to have a bit of a stigma for a while."

The asari councilor made a motion to say something, but paused as if something held her back. Overcoming this, she started, "That's also another thing we wanted to tell you today. Even though you are not among the leadership of your race, we feel it best that we can trust you and see how you react to the news that we will release soon."

Alec cocked an eyebrow, "What news would that be?"

The councilor began, slowly, "The Council has decided, in the wake of these incidents of human aggression, that they, as a race, are not mature enough to be a part of this Council. They have proven themselves to be a harsh, assertive, and primitive race that frequently results to violence when confronted with the unfamiliar."

Alec hung his head in shame at the silent rebuke, the councilor sensed this and moved to correct herself, "Although, there are examples among them that have proven themselves to be true paragons of your species. You, Sergeant Lee," she used his formal C-Sec title, a rank that had little to no importance bearing his alien status. "Are one such example. You have proven to us that you are willing to put others before yourself and have saved hundreds of lives in the process. Ours included, for which we are grateful."

All the councilors nodded at this, unconsciously glancing towards the empty spot where the salarian councilor had once stood, "However, it is my deepest regret to tell you this, but we have decided to enact a formal blockade over the Local System. Effective immediately, no ships will be allowed to enter or leave the system until a certain time has passed when we can extend an invitation to them once again for their cooperation."

Alec wilted, he had not been expecting this, "What does that mean for me?"

The quarian councilor spoke, "It means, Alec, that you will never be able to return to your homeworld in your lifetime. All of the humans currently on board the Citadel have access to anywhere they desire in the galaxy, after our determination that they are cooperative, but they cannot go back to Earth."

Alec nodded slowly, "I…I understand, Councilors."

The quarian councilor leaned forward, her tone soft and comforting, "Do you think our judgment is unfair?"

Looking up to meet her eyes, Alec responded, "No, Councilor. I do not."

The turian councilor cleared his throat, "Well, you took it better than anyone else here thought you would have. But, this also is in regard to one last issue."

"Go on."

"Because of your selfless conduct and your quick action, we have put your name forward as a candidate for the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of Council operations."

The asari councilor stepped forward, "This is a most unorthodox event. Candidates are never allowed to know of their being chosen but we decided that we give you the opportunity to choose if you want to go forward."

Alec blinked, "What would I do for this branch?"

"As a spectre, you operate as a free agent. You have no rules, no limitations on how to carry out assignments. A spectre is an instrument of the Council's will, performing operations that are too delicate for established governments."

"However," the quarian councilor interjected. "A spectre is a full-time commitment. Most likely, you will not be able to manage whatever life you have now, as it is a dangerous job. But, you have the power to make a difference in this galaxy as you see fit. You will be able to make it safer and further prove humanity's worth to the galaxy."

While she was speaking, Alec could see Tali tense up in the corner of his eye. His heart went out to her, for he couldn't say right away his true intentions in the middle of the hall. He hoped he understood because he was going to savor her reaction when he gave his answer.

Clearing his throat, Alec stepped forward, "Thank you, Councilors, for the vote of confidence. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the opportunity you have provided me. I would like nothing more than to prove to the galaxy what humans are capable of." He closed his eyes, thankful that he could not see Tali behind him, "But…I must refuse your offer. My mind was made up when you first announced it. Despite the fact that I would like my species to grow up and that being a spectre would facilitate their reinsertion into Council space more quickly, I must admit that I have something worth more than my homeworld…and the galaxy combined."

Alec stepped back to grasp hands with Tali, who clutched him with such a resounding strength that he genuinely believed that his hand would be crushed if she applied even an ounce more of force. "I respectfully decline, Councilors," he said loudly, voice echoing throughout the chamber. "And I hope that you don't think less of me for doing so."

The asari councilor nodded, "The fact that you put a loved one before duty only exemplifies the fact that humans are capable of making the right decisions. We will respect your choice, Alec, and we wish you peace upon your journeys."

Alec and Tali both bowed their heads, "Thank you, Councilors."

"This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

"You really are a lunatic, Alec," Garrus said. "You might be the first person ever to turn down a spectre candidacy…I would kill for them to even consider me."

"Oh, trust me," Alec laughed. "You don't."

"And I'm glad for that," Tali said, hugging him. "You had me worried for a second there, you _bosh'tet_. You worded that sentence just so you could mess with me some more, right?"

"I'm going to pay for it tonight, aren't I?"

"Oh, yes," she purred.

Garrus coughed loudly as Wrex laughed, "Are you two deliberately trying to make me feel awkward?"

Tali tilted her head in amusement, "Who said anything about trying?"

"Ah, you princesses," Wrex shuffled in. "You're so sappy all the time. It's an interesting change of pace from Tuchanka, everyone just shouts."

"You heading back there, Wrex?" Alec asked. "You could always take our ship back, you know."

Wrex waved a hand, "Don't be stupid. You earned it fair and square, there's a ship departing in an hour for the system anyway. Got to get back and show off my new features." He indicated the bandage that ran along his neck. "For being so _squishy_, you humans are very resilient."

"I'll take that as a complement," Alec said, offering his hand, to which Wrex promptly pulverized in a shake. "Keep in touch, big guy."

"Thank you, Wrex," Tali said, also offering her hand which Wrex accepted (more gingerly). "For helping Alec and all."

"Ah, it was nothing," Wrex grumbled, turning to shake Garrus' hand. "You staying here with these losers?"

The turian shrugged, "Someone's got to keep an eye on them."

"Ha! You're all right, Garrus."

"Coming from you, that means a lot."

Wrex bared a fanged grin, "Don't get all soft on me now, turian. We'll see each other again soon."

When Wrex departed for the lower bays, Garrus turned to Alec, "What's next on the agenda, human?"

Alec gaped at the question like it was the stupidest thing anyone had ever said in their life, "What's next? I'm going home to take a nap. I'm freaking _tired_, Garrus, in case you hadn't noticed."

Garrus laughed, "You have looked better, I admit. We still on for the day after tomorrow?"

Tali laughed, "Still sticking to the sparring schedule, Garrus?"

"Have to keep in shape somehow."

Alec grinned, "You're _on_, turian. As long as you go easy on my right side."

"I make no promises."


	15. Epilogue: Second Stage

_The Next Day_

The water lapped around Alec's body as he floated, taking in the deep purple and orange hues of the Rannoch sky through the clear canopy as his body lay relaxed. He sighed in the morning air, eyes closed as he experienced weightlessness, held aloft by the undulating liquid.

This was the first chance he had at using the pool, _his_ pool, at the planet of which was now his homeworld. Now he relished the opportunity, savoring the sensation of the fluid around his body. Next to him, a jury-rigged iPod was quietly sounding a classical piece, giving a peaceful mood to the setting. He hadn't been swimming in years and he didn't even have a proper bathing suit on, just his boxers. Who could have guessed that he would be swimming on an alien world later in life anyway? If you had asked him that question ten years ago, he would have scoffed at the prospect. Now look, he owned a house on a different planet, he was a trained officer for a massive space station, and he was married to an alien.

_And I've still got the rest of my life ahead of me._

He reflected upon the events of the last few days. It was quite a lot to take in, even after all that he'd been through. Even after ripping through scores of enemies and brutally tearing them apart, Veetor's betrayal had affected him the most. He felt tired, still shaky at what the quarian had done. He still didn't understand. Was Veetor really so desperate that he had to turn to violence to achieve his goal? Why didn't he say anything beforehand?

_I would have helped. I could have saved him._

It was heartbreaking because Alec had considered Veetor to be a friend. He wasn't on par with Garrus or anyone else but he was still a familiar face that he enjoyed talking to. He had never suspected any animosity coming from the man, he always seemed so shy.

Arms crossed in his position, Alec continued to stare up at the sky, contemplating. Clearly, there was nothing else he could do at this point. What was done is done. He needed to focus on the future rather than relive the past. The more he thought about it, the better he felt.

A hissing sound to his left told him that Tali had joined him outside. He slowly brought his legs down to the bottom of the pool, standing up so that he could look at his wife.

"How is the water?" she asked, gingerly placing the tip of her boot in the pool.

Alec shrugged, "Perfect temperature. Sleep well?"

Tali nodded, "I noticed that you weren't in bed when I woke. I hoped you weren't overly exerting yourself and I'm glad to see that it wasn't the case."

Alec laughed, hiding a wince as his battered body ached, "Still looking after your idiot husband?"

"I married the moron," she chuckled. "I have to, otherwise he will just hurt himself again."

Alec slowly paddled over to where she was sitting, placing both arms on the side of the pool, noting her stiffer body language, "What exactly are you thinking?"

She sighed, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe just the best time to…what exactly are you listening to?" She peered over to see the iPod with a crude speaker attached to the port. "What did you _do_ to this thing?"

He held up his hands, "I wanted to listen to music during my swim and I hate the speaker on these omni-tools, so I connected it to the network and fiddled with the speakers somewhat."

"Well, you never bothered to adjust the treble on your tool which could explain why everything sounds murky."

"I still don't really know how to use the damn thing," Alec admitted. "It acts like it's got a mind of its own and I can't find the settings function."

"_Bosh'tet_," Tali admonished. "You see what I mean? You can't go for one minute alone without hurting yourself or breaking something."

"It works, doesn't it?"

"Technically speaking, yes. But what is it? I've never heard this piece before and it's _incredible_."

"It's 'An American Symphony,' it was overlooked a lot back in the day but the composer who commissioned it really knocked it out of the park."

"Was this part of a vid too?"

He laughed, "Funnily enough, it was."

"That's the thing," Tali said definitively. "You humans put the most beautiful music in your vids and the rest of us just recycle the same processed loops and sounds over and over again."

"Everyone does seem to like techno a lot here."

"What's techno?"

"Never mind," Alec grinned.

Tali was starting to sway her toe back and forth in the water, creating ripples in the pool. She seemed particularly anxious and he started, "Did you want to try out the pool?"

"I….wait, what?" she said in disbelief.

Alec laughed, "Tali, it's your house too. Your pool. I'm asking if you want to join me for a bit."

Tali started to wring her hands, "I…don't know. Is it safe?"

"It isn't so much different from the shower," Alec said in a calming voice. "In terms of cleanliness, you're fine. Got state of the art filters installed on this thing and plus you've already adapted to the atmosphere of the house without your suit on, so there's that."

"But…I can't swim, Alec. And I don't have anything in terms of proper wear."

"You don't need to worry about that, Tali. We'll stay in the shallow end for now. No swimming at all. And you don't really need a bathing suit to go into a pool, you know."

"_You're_ wearing one."

Alec groaned theatrically before flinging something out of the water with a splash as the object crumpled on the ridge of the pool, "Now I'm not. It wasn't even a suit anyway."

He could tell that Tali was trying to come up with another argument, a delaying tactic so that she wouldn't have to face her fears so soon. Courage eventually won out and she stood up and proceeded to take off her suit, rushing the process as to be rid of the maddening prison.

Alec arched an eyebrow as he appraised her beauty. If anything, the last few years had made her more beautiful. There was a noticeable amount of muscle on her arms now, her legs were thicker and more powerful, and her abdomen was firm and defined, cords of muscle keeping her perfect skin taut and smooth. She looked magnificent.

She breathed in and out, trying to control her nerves. Alec moved over to the steps of the pool, holding out a hand for her in assurance. She dipped a toe into the water and shuddered, her body tingling. Wanting to experience more, she placed her whole foot in, followed by the other on the first step. Reaching for his hand, she stepped down the next step and moaned as the water reached her knees. With one step to go, she took a final, deep breath and grasped Alec with her three-fingered hand. She let out a gasp as the water came up to her waist, she had goose bumps all over her skin. Alec drew her in for an embrace, feeling her shiver as she moved in the unfamiliar substance.

"How is it," Alec asked. "Whenever you try something new, you are absolutely adorable?"

"And why is it," she countered, voice trembling still. "That you always say something to that effect whenever I'm naked?"

"Partly because I'm married to you," he said with a wild grin. "But mostly because I get to see that beautiful face only so often."

"So…I'm your prize."

"I did say that I'm extremely possessive," Alec said as he kissed Tali. Tali kissed him back, sliding her tongue into his mouth, experiencing the exotic sensations of the water and his presence. While they were doing this, Alec slowly started to bend his knees so that they were starting to lower themselves in the water. Tali kept her mouth on his, feeling that if she broke it, she would let go. When the water was chest high, he stopped the descent and they parted to look at each other. Fluid lapped at her breasts, he slowly drew his thumbs across her chest to brush her nipples, eliciting another moan. They were rock hard from the sensation of the water.

Alec reached up with a hand to stroke Tali's face, leaving a wet trail from the water. She closed her eyes to his touch, sighing at his gentle caress. Alec, wanting to do more, frowned as a nagging thought entered his mind. How could he have been so stupid? Why didn't he think of that before?

"Tali…" he said. "Remember that day…before I left for Tuchanka. You said you had something. Something to tell me."

Her hand shot to her mouth, eyes widening, "Oh Keelah, I keep forgetting that you never knew. I never told you…"

Alec snapped his fingers, "There it is again. Somehow I've always had this feeling that other people knew what was going on and I was kept in the dark."

"I mean…I only told Garrus and…and Veetor…but that was because…because I didn't know how else to tell you."

Alec frowned, placing both hands over her cheeks to cup her head, "Tell me what, Tali?"

Her bottom lip trembled, eyes welling with tears, "You're going to be a _father_, Alec."

His jaw dropped. He left it hanging there because he could not process this in one sitting. His mouth moved but nothing came out. It was like the world had stopped turning and time had slowed indefinitely. He could hear nothing, he could see nothing. But…inside him…he felt _something_. Something rapidly swelling inside him. A feeling that he could barely contain, his love for the person he held…and their child.

"No…way," Alec breathed, astonished.

Tali nodded her head, about to burst into tears, drops already falling down her face. He quickly brushed them away.

"But…the procedure. Amcon…it's only been a month. So soon?"

"Y-yes," Tali whispered. "I-I got examined…on the Citadel. They can…they can tell that quickly."

Alec drew his wife closer, "It worked? It actually worked?"

"Yes, my love," Tali was weeping with joy. "It really worked."

Alec hugged her with all his might, embracing her so tightly that they were completely inseparable, tangled within that pool. "I'm going to be a _dad_…"

Alec suddenly kissed Tali. It was a passionate kiss, but it was so intense with love that both partners had to stop for a breath after a time. Locking lips again, still embracing the other, they sank down into the pool, the water covering their heads. Neither one cared at the moment; they stayed underneath the surface, kiss still binding them together as they closed their eyes in the heat of the moment. Submerged in the weightless environment, human and quarian became one entity as they floated among a mass of bubbles. Soulmates connected after being separated amongst the stars, together until the end.

* * *

**For Her: Second Stage**

* * *

**Author's Note: Thus concludes this part of the saga of Alec and Tali. I do hope you enjoyed it, despite my mangling of the established Mass Effect universe. I really enjoyed writing this story and being able to introduce and establish a few more characters along the way. I want to thank all of you readers for making it this far and bearing with me while I wrangled with the nonlinear timeline. Seriously, you guys are the best.**

**I would humbly request that you take what little time you have out of your schedule to write a review for your favorite chapter. Let me know what you liked and what you hated. I always appreciate feedback, as long as it's constructive. (Or pandering, I like that as well)**

**If you have any questions about the development of the For Her saga, you can always PM me and I would be happy to elaborate. With such a vast universe, a few ideas had to get thrown in the can and I apologize if I had not brought up a particular character that you liked (or, in a certain case, killed them off in a way that you hated).**

**The goal while writing For Her and its sequel was to approach the idea of alien contact on Earth and building off a more realistic atmosphere. The intent was to use this backdrop so that a relationship between the main characters could be well developed considering the circumstances. Nothing was meant to be raunchy, cheesy, or eye-rolling in terms of the dialogue and actions (barring the battle scenes), just normal interaction between two people, developing the character arcs in realistic ways.**

**Thank you once again, or taking into account why we're actually here: _Keelah se'lai._**

**-Rob**

**Edit: Updates are complete - if you find any errant lines that I've missed, let me know and I'll run 'em down.**

**Further update: Great news! The story to Third Stage has been cracked and will begin production within the next few days. Look forward to seeing you there!**


	16. Afterword and Appendix

**Rob's Notes:**

_Second Stage_ was the unplanned sequel to a story I had planned to immediately leave after writing. I was perfectly happy with how the first installment ended, everything had wrapped up nicely and I had ended my writing spree on a positive note. However, I was still curious on how to develop the characters even more and the fact that I had opened up a whole galaxy of possibilities. I gave in to the pressure and started writing again. I made sure to take my time writing at least a chapter a day rather than the marathon I exhibited with the first part. So far, I think it all turned out nicely and I managed to keep my sanity for a longer period of time.

**Prologue**:

I wanted to start this one out with an air of mystery. By not giving away the main character (despite it being pretty obvious, in my opinion) and making the enemy's motives rather unclear, it provided a good introduction to the new setting. From the outset it was clear that this was going to be a bit darker than _For Her_ and I wanted to exemplify that through the violent actions depicted.

**Chapter 1:**

This chapter was more of a transitional one, in which I had to describe a few aspects of the Citadel and situate our main characters so that the audience knows where they will stand in the future. It wasn't one of my favorite chapters to write but it did serve its purpose in one regard: I got to introduce Garrus into the mix. Garrus is such a beloved character (a close second in my list of favorite squadmates) and because I had already screwed up the timeline of events, I could do whatever the hell I wanted and threw him into the story. The Shepard-less aspect of the whole _For Her_ saga caused many of the main characters to develop in ways the ME games did not intend. I wanted to try my hand at exploring different facets of their personalities. Garrus is a little more snarky, a little more sardonic in this universe and I think that only makes him cooler (no calibrating to be done here!)

**Chapter 2:**

Out of all the chapters I have written, this was my least favorite to write. It served no visible purpose other than to provide a transition for Alec and Garrus while on Tuchanka. I couldn't find an appropriate spot to fit them in considering the risks I was taking with the nonlinear storyline and had to devote a whole chapter to it. It was basic in its design and did not provide much new to the table. However, this was also able to establish the fact that Tali did in fact know of Alec's supposed death and would set up her arc to go in a new direction (even hinting at their relationship). I also introduced the villain in this one, even though I still maintain that writing Silas was not so rewarding as I didn't think he was fleshed out enough or unique to be remembered as a good bad guy. Guess that isn't my strong suit.

**Chapter 3:**

This was a fun one to write. I liked describing the party life on the Citadel, as well as providing some opportunities for Garrus to get awkward (silly turian). Tali's dancing came into play again in this story, a nice throwback to the prior one. Took the opportunity to introduce Veetor in the story, despite him being a minor character in the games but I wanted to have a familiar face instead of creating another alternate character. The audience cannot suspend their disbelief indefinitely.

**Chapter 4:**

Writing the banter between Garrus and Alec was a lot easier than writing dialogue between Alec and Tali. It helps to reminisce about conversations you have with friends who are characteristically difficult to talk to. Like Wrex would mention later, they fight like a married couple. Also, I would drop a few hints in this chapter regarding the presence of an informant for Silas (wanted to keep people guessing) and one other thing regarding a new development in Tali's life. I didn't blurt the latter out loud because I wanted to slowly introduce the concept without just smacking the audience in the face with it. Therefore, it isn't mentioned until the final chapter, in which everyone has enough time to process the information and will more readily adapt.

**Chapter 5:**

Now came a big reveal. It took me a long time to think of a way to introduce the topic of marriage without having to resort to groaner lines or any form of corniness. Not sure what the audience thought of the approach but I tried to make it seem as romantic and realistic as possible. The idea for adding a love scene (or "lemons" as you lot are fond of saying) was considered to be an appropriate way of opening the scene (in which I went back and expanded the scene later on for extra intimacy…no raunchiness!) and resulted in a tender moment between two lovers. I also pretty much glossed over the wedding scene because I wanted to keep the length down so that people wouldn't roll their eyes at its execution. I'm guessing it was fine because people haven't called me out on it yet (heh…heh).

**Chapter 6:**

As I said in the last story, battle scenes are always fun to script. Since Tuchanka is home to thresher maws, why not have a fight with one? The pacing needed an action break anyway…too much romantic antics. Also, Wrex! Everyone's favorite krogan made his introduction, albeit in a smaller role but rather important. I also tried (notice I said "tried") to make Silas a little more three-dimensional by adding the bit about Daniel being his father (needless to say, I failed). I don't think that it was the appropriate way to handle the character and should have just cut my losses and wrote him to be a stereotypical bad guy instead of a stereotypical bad guy looking for revenge. I feel as if I've seen that movie before…

**Chapter 7:**

This was my longest chapter to date that I've written. It was quite an important one as the geth/quarian conflict had to be described in detail as well as aspects of each respective culture. When playing ME3, I had noticed Legion mention something along the lines of "the Creators attacking so the geth wished to live." That got me thinking: What if the quarians hadn't attacked yet? What if they were about to but stopped when confronted with new knowledge of the geth? There was going to be a major battle scene later on in the story anyway so having another one wasn't really necessary. Using Legion to communicate with both Alec and Tali was the only possible way to accomplish the idea of peace between geth and the quarians because in ME3, Tali never did see what Shepard saw in the consensus. Her being present allowed her to move past her prejudices and determine for herself what the right course of action was.

**Chapter 8:**

Fights with a krogan are never pretty. Kept the battle relatively short so that it wouldn't be distracting, but made sure to tack on a violent ending. Also used the chapter to introduce the sweet guns and armor. Always did like the look of that Terminus armor…scary.

**Chapter 9:**

Loved the raw emotion in this one. It was interesting to script how the quarians would react upon learning that they could have always gone back to Rannoch whenever they wanted. It seemed so obvious at the time. Utilized the literary device known as Chekov's Gun with the quarian sword and all, made sure to include that for the proper time. Then I just moved on to when the house on Rannoch was built because I wanted to introduce the concept of a family. While planning this out, I knew that I didn't want to go the adoption route as many other FFs have. It just didn't seem all that right to me and I was tired of it being so cliché. I figured that if Bioware can make their own pseudo-scientific answers for elements in their universe, then so can I. I made sure to describe to the audience exactly how a family could be created by the two so that it wouldn't feel forced to them. I tried to make it seem like a realistic alternative to adoption and would tie it in to the hints dropped in prior chapters.

**Chapter 10:**

This one was centered on Tali because I didn't think I had focused on her enough in the present timeline. I took advantage of this so that I could script her being a strong character and relatively badass. It's part of her charm and why we all love her.

**Chapter 11:**

Finished in under two hours, this one was (no pun intended) a blast to write. I always had the idea of a couple of armored guys just going to town with an army in the way. I pretty much pulled out most of the tricks in the book on how to kill baddies. And omni-swords…why weren't there omni-swords in the games? Seemed like a logical step to me…

Mood Music: Junkie XL's "Fog Battle" from the movie _300: Rise of an Empire_

**Chapter 12:**

Very satisfying indeed. I love the concept of swordfights in media. They represent the ultimate in duels, one on one, just you and a blade, you and your skill. Naturally, I relished the idea of including a swordfight here so I scripted it to partially reflect the swordfight from the movie _Troy_ in some areas. Silas' over the top death only came to me at the last minute and when I finally remembered the part about cryo ammo, I was like, "Oh my god, that's perfect." One Harvey Dent later combined with an execution from _Jason X_ and you have yourself an extremely satisfying FATALITY. (Oh, yeah. I specifically killed Legion off because I didn't want anyone to feel like they got through this encounter without exhibiting some loss. Legion was cool and all but it made sense to kill him because of the significance he posed to all quarians, particularly Tali).

Mood Music: Danny Elfman's "Main Titles" from the movie _Planet of the Apes_

**Chapter 13:**

Partly one of the reasons why Silas wasn't scripted well as a villain was probably because he wasn't meant to be the only one. After dropping to the audience repeatedly about the presence of an informant, I always wondered what people were coming up with as their own answers to the question. The idea of a quarian as a bad guy was an idea that I had since the beginning of this story's production, but I didn't want to draw it straight out and rather surprise the audience with this information. I used Veetor because there wouldn't be that much fan backlash (if they actually read this story, which is not likely) and because he had just the right amount of twitchiness in his personality for it to be plausible (which led to yet another swordfight).

**Epilogue:**

Closing out this story on Rannoch seemed to be the perfect close in case this series goes stagnant. In this case, the audience has been with the characters enough to feel satisfied with the ending that they have. The pool was added in this scene for extra eroticism (might have been a bit sappy, but it fit the theme of water exposure).

Close out to Clint Mansell's "Rock On!" from the movie _Sahara_

* * *

With that all being said, it was very interesting to write something firmly established in ME's universe, even if it was skewed all to hell. The nonlinear timeline was a pain in the ass to get around so much that I actually had to create liner notes for my reference. At this point, I am currently weighing my options to see if I have enough inspiration to make a third installment, _Third Stage_. I have a bunch of setpieces that I have outlined, should I write it, but at the moment they are rather disjointed and no clear story has been set in place. I can say that I would plan on it taking place twenty-ish years into the future, introducing more characters and make the story even more darker (even darker than before). Don't count on me starting it anytime soon, but do know that I am considering it because I love these characters so much.


End file.
